My New World
by GeorgieM
Summary: Alex wakes up from an accident to find that reality isn't what she thought.  Now, she has to sort through her memories to find out what is real, what was a dream and how close the two can be.
1. Chapter 1

_**This is my first Wizards story and I hope you like it. I haven't read any stories similar to this so I hope I'm giving you something a little different to read. Alex wakes up from an accident to find that reality isn't what she thought. Now, she has to sort through her memories to find out what is real, what was a dream and how close the two can be. Please read and review. Let me know what you think.**_

_***I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place or its characters, just my story***_

**Chapter 1 – A Different World**

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Why isn't she waking up?"

"Come on Alex. Open your eyes. We miss you."

"Coma…" "Six weeks…" "May not wake…"

"Alex…"

Through the almost impenetrable black fog she hears snippets of words which jumble together in an indecipherable mess. Frustrated with her confusion, she tries to listen harder but it's no use. The blackness engulfs her once more, pulling her down into nothingness.

"Alex…" Again the voice stirs her but she is unable to respond. "Alex, you need to wake up." The urgency of the words strikes her and she struggles to open her eyes or say a word. "Alex, please." This voice that calls to her fills her with warmth and love. Her mother's love. "Alex." It's just a whisper to her ears but she feels compelled to answer.

Fighting her way through the layers of darkness, she manages to finally move her lips forming a single word without sound. "Mom." Nothing. She tries again, determined to make her mother hear her. "Mom." A scratchy, guttural sound but still recognizable.

"Alex." A cautious whisper, full of hope and joy. "Alex, I heard you. Please wake up."

Slowly, Alex manages to open her eyes a sliver and is blinded by the bright white lights overhead. She groans in pain. "Too bright."

"I got it baby." A shuffling noise and footsteps, then the lights dim. Alex hears a door open and her mother shouting at someone. "She's awake! She's awake!" Her mother returns and grasps her cold hand tightly. "I've been so worried."

Alex opens her eyes more and takes in the blurred shapes around her. Blinking rapidly, her vision clears. She's lying on a white bed in a white room with several scary looking machines beeping and buzzing around her, connected to her with wires and tubes. Besides her, still holding her hand, is her mother but not the one she remembers, though she knows it's the same person. This mother has dark circles under her eyes, wrinkled clothes and a gaunt look to her features.

"Mom, what happened?" Before her mother can answer, several people in white lab coats with medical ID badges and clipboards walk in the room. They stare at her with varying degrees of disbelief and excitement. An hour later and more confused, Alex is left alone with her mother with the promised of more tests to come for their miracle patient.

"Mom?" Alex, feeling drained but unwilling to fall asleep just yet, turns her head towards her mother. "Why am I in the hospital? Where is everyone?"

"You don't remember?" Her mother sighs and sits down on the edge of the bed taking Alex's hand again. "We were in a car accident. A drunk driver ran a red light and hit us. Unfortunately, it was on the passenger side where you were sitting." Tears escape her mother's brown eyes. "He wasn't wearing his seat belt and died instantly. I was so scared that I'd lost you. The doctors didn't give much hope for your recovery, saying you probably wouldn't wake up."

"How hurt am I?" Alex worriedly tries to look at the rest of her body, checking to make sure all limbs, fingers and toes are accounted for.

"Most of the damage has healed and nothing is permanent except for a few scars." Her mom reassures her. "You are going to have to go through a lot of physical therapy."

"Where is everyone?" The room is quiet and her mother stares at her in confusion.

"Who are you talking about?" Her mother rubs her arm and lays a gentle hand on her face. "Most of your friends stopped visiting a few weeks ago. The only one who still comes every day after school is Harper."

"What about Dad, Justin and Max?" Alex's eyes begin to close in exhaustion but pop open at her mother's next words.

"Baby, your dad died ten years ago and who are Justin and Max?" Looking into her mother's eyes, Alex can see genuine confusion and concern.

"I'm dreaming right?" Panicking, Alex looks wildly about the room. "This is a dream. It isn't real."

"You aren't dreaming." Her mom grasps both of Alex's hands and holds them firmly. "You are here with me and I want you to tell me what is wrong?"

"They weren't real?" Alex whimpers in anguish. "They're gone."

"Who are you talking about?" Standing up, her mother leans over Alex to look into her eyes. "Should I get the doctor?"

"No." Calming herself, Alex hides her broken heart as best she can. "It was just a dream I had. Don't worry about it, but can I ask you one more thing?"

"Sure, baby. Anything."

"Am I a wizard?" Alex holds her breath and hopes her mother doesn't think she's gone insane. Although, at the moment, Alex isn't too sure she hasn't.

"What kind of question is that?" Alex looks up sharply, as her mother laughs. "Of course, you're a wizard. You've only been training with me and your Uncle Ernesto since your powers first came to you."

"Training with_ YOU_ and _UNCLE ERNESTO_?" Shock evident on her face, Alex stares at her mother.

"Well, who do you think would train you?" Her mother laughs again.

"Sorry, I was just checking." Alex shakes her head in wonder. "I had some pretty vivid dreams and I wanted to make sure of what is real and what was just in my head."

"Speaking of magic, I have something for you." Pulling out a silver stick with a sapphire on the tip, her mother hand it to Alex. "I thought you might like to have your wand back. Just remember to keep it out of sight."

"Thanks Mom." Alex tucks the wand away safely and promptly falls asleep, too tired to mull over all that she'd been told.

_**Like it? Love it? Hate it? Please review and let me know. Thanks for reading.**_


	2. Chapter 2: Who is Alex Russo

_**Not a huge turn out on reviews but I appreciate the ones I got. Big thanks go to my reviewers: poppysmic59, karazorel, and SusieAnna97. You are awesome and I hope you have a great holiday season.**_

_***I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place or its characters, just my story***_

_Previously:_

_"Training with YOU and UNCLE ERNESTO?" Shock evident on her face, Alex stares at her mother._

_"Well, who do you think would train you?" Her mother laughs again._

_"Sorry, I was just checking." Alex shakes her head in wonder. "I had some pretty vivid dreams and I wanted to make sure of what is real and what was just in my head."_

_"Speaking of magic, I have something for you." Pulling out a silver stick with a sapphire on the tip, her mother hands it to Alex. "I thought you might like to have your wand back. Just remember to keep it out of sight."_

_"Thanks Mom." Alex tucks the wand away safely and promptly falls asleep, too tired to mull over all that she'd been told._

**Chapter 2: Who is Alex Russo**

"Alex!" A loud but familiar voice startles Alex out of her thoughts. Looking up, she sees a blur of deep red hair and black fabric flash across the room and land on top of her in a tight hug.

"Harper?" Alex hugs her best friend but looks at her in confusion. "Why are you dressed like that?"

Stepping back, Harper looks down at her apparel. A skin-tight black turtleneck with a midnight blue unbuttoned vest is paired with a black pencil skirt, black stockings and matching blue converse. Silver combs with blue rhinestones hold the sides of her hair away from her face which is accented with blood red lipstick, navy eye shadow and black eyeliner. "What do you mean? I've always dressed this way."

"Really?" Alex sighs in frustration and hits the side of her bed with a weak fist. "Sorry. I had some vivid dreams while I was in a coma and my memories are confused." Alex pauses to look at her friend pleadingly. "Could you help me remember?"

"Of course. How can I help?" Alex pats the side of the bed next to her and Harper sits down with an uncertain smile.

"Just tell me about my life. Anything you remember." Alex takes Harper's hand and grips it a little desperately. "I need this."

"Okay." Harper taps her chin with the tip of one finger. "Well, you are seventeen years old, have one of the highest GPAs in our senior class and are known for…"

"Wait!" Eyes round as saucers, Alex holds up a hand to stop her. "Did you say I have a high GPA? As in, I'm a nerd?"

"Nerd?" Harper laughs loudly at the idea. "As if anyone would dare to even think that. They're too afraid that you'll pull a nasty prank on them or slice them through with your sarcasm. Nobody messes with Alex Russo." Alex sighs in relief. The last thing she wants is a life like Justin's… who doesn't actually exist. Feeling panicked, Alex urges Harper to continue talking.

Harper talks for several hours with only the occasional question from Alex. It sets Alex's head spinning from the overload of information and insights into her life. Apparently, she is a straight A student who loves to pull pranks, has a sarcastic wit and a crazy love life. About to graduate from high school, she is currently single and has a scholarship to NYU where she will be roommates with Harper. She lives with her mother in a large apartment and has no siblings.

"Do we know a Justin or Max?" Alex asks her friend tentatively.

"Ewww. You're not talking about that disgusting Justin Eaderman, are you?" Harper makes a gagging face. "The short kid with the greasy blonde hair that smells like he hasn't bathed in ten years?"

"God no!" Alex exclaims, scrunching up her nose in distaste. "This Justin is tall with almost black, short hair and blue eyes."

"Oooh. No, I've never met that Justin." Fanning herself dramatically, Harper winks at Alex. "It sounds like I'd like to though, if you ever find him." She straightens up as Alex rolls her eyes and looks at her curiously. "Any idea when you'll be getting out of this place? Prom is coming up in a next month and graduation after that. We also have a visit scheduled for NYU next week."

"Tomorrow." Excitement evident in her voice, Alex grins at Harper. "The last of the test came back yesterday and they said I can go home tomorrow. I'm so tired being here."

"Great! I'll skip school in the afternoon and meet you at your home after lunch." Harper stands up after giving Alex a hug. "I better get going. See you tomorrow."

"Bye." Alex watches as her best friend walks away. Thoughts of the past pulling at her, she gets lost in the memories as they begin to surface in her mind, memories from this life. It gives her an uneasy feeling, as if there are two people occupying her body. One Alex has all the memories and thoughts from her coma-induced dream life. The other Alex is filled with the memories and thoughts from this life. They are both inside of her, a part of her, and blending together. The question is: Who is she now?

Never one to over-think a problem, at least she doesn't think she is, Alex decides to go with the flow for now and see where it takes her. After a somewhat less than good night's sleep and an even more questionable hospital breakfast, Alex waits impatiently for her freedom. Excitement pours through her as she sees her mother walk in with a wheelchair for her.

"Finally! Thank you thank you thank you." Alex pushes herself up and, with a lot of help, sits down in the seat. She snaps her fingers eagerly. "Come on. Let's blow this joint."

Rolling her eyes at her daughter's antics, Theresa pushes the chair out of the room and down the hall with a nurses' aide wheeling the bags on cart behind her. They get outside as a valet pulls up in Theresa's car and they help Alex into the passenger seat. After stowing the wheelchair in the trunk, Theresa climbs in and drives them home.

Looking out the window, Alex stares at the city she calls home. It feels like an eternity since she's seen the skyscrapers that get lost in the clouds and masses of people scurrying to beat traffic lights. Her face lights up at the sight of the familiar Waverly Place street sign as they turn to go home. After parking in the parking garage, Theresa pushes Alex to a door next to the sandwich shop they live above. Alex stares longingly at the cozy, little restaurant.

"Oh baby, are you hungry? We can run in a get something if you want." Theresa turns to go back but is stopped by Alex.

"No. I just want to go home." Pulling her gaze away, Alex points to their front door. "Let's go home."

Once inside, they have no way of getting Alex up the stairs so she pulls out her wand and uses a locomotor spell to transport both her and the wheelchair into their apartment. Looking around, Alex realizes that not a lot is different except all the family pictures are now only of her and her mom. Some included Uncle Ernesto or Harper. Tucked away in a corner of the living room, hangs a single family picture of herself, her mother and her father. Jerry Russo looks exactly the way she remembers him but he's gone in this reality. She hardly even knew him. Suddenly, Alex is very glad for the fake memories because, for a brief moment, she got to have her dad back.

"Don't forget to pop in your bags from the car, too." Theresa calls from the kitchen area as she makes them some lunch. Alex waves her wand again and sends the luggage to her room… at least she hopes it's still her room. "You know, now that you are awake, stronger and home, we can have Ernesto do a rehab spell on your body. He's always been better at the healing spells than me. What do you think?"

"Get me back on my feet and out of this chair?" Alex raises and eyebrow at her mother. "No let's just leave me in here to rot. So much more fun."

"Okay, grouchy puss." Her mother picks up the phone and makes the call. After hanging up, she makes a third sandwich. "He'll be here in just a minute." Seconds later, a handsome man with dark looks and a charming smile pops into the middle of the room with his arms spread wide.

"There's my favorite girl." Uncle Ernesto walks over to hug Alex and pecks his sister on the cheek. Looking down at his niece, he raises his wand. "Ready to get out of that chair?"

"What do you think?" Alex grins impishly back at him. "Come on, old man. Give it your best shot."

Ernesto waves his wand over Alex's head and says a complicated and wordy spell. At the end of it, Alex feels a tingling work its way up from her toes, spreading through her body like a wild fire and making her heart race. After several minutes, it dissipates and Alex is left feeling vibrant. She easily stands up and wraps her arms around her uncle. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome." Ernesto smiles at her with affection. "And I already took care of the doctors so no one is going to be bugging you about your physical therapy."

A knock on their door precedes it opening suddenly to reveal a smiling Harper. Seeing Alex standing, her mouth drops open in shock. "Alex, how are you…?" She sees Ernesto standing behind and Alex and rolls her eyes with a laugh. "Oh, Ernesto is here." Watching Alex skip about the room, Harper smiles at Ernesto appreciatively. "You sure do have a way with a wand." Ernesto winks at her causing her to blush.

The rest of the afternoon, Alex and Harper spend catching up in Alex's room which looks like it has always looked. They talk about school and boys and plan for their NYU trip next week. Alex learns that, while Zeke is real and the way she remembers, Harper and Zeke barely said two words to each other in school. He graduated last year and goes to NYU now. Harper laughs at the thought of her and Zeke together, wondering how Alex could dream that up even in a coma.

With her mother's okay, Alex decides to put off going back to school until after the university visit. She still feels like she's living someone else's life half the time and wants to feel more comfortable in her own shoes before taking that step. Every day she feels a little better, a little more relaxed, but not herself.

The day of the NYU visit arrives with clear blue skies and a zing in the air. Harper, who spent the night, and Alex spent over an hour deciding what to wear. Alex dresses in a fitted red shirt with a v-neck and three quarter sleeves. She matches this with black skinny jeans and a comfortable pair of leather boots where she has her wand hidden. Leaving her hair down in soft waves, Alex has small gold hoops in her ears and a gold locket about her neck. Harper decides on a hunter green blouse with cap sleeves, relaxed blue jeans and a pair of converse shoes with flowers painted on them. Her thick red hair is pulled back into a braid, leaving her bangs to frame her face. Dangly silver chains grace her ears which matches the bracelet on her wrist.

They climb into the car with Theresa and drive to the campus. Alex's mom drops them off in front of the offices with a promise to pick them up when they call her. The two teens turn to each other with wide smiles and walk into the building, trying not to gawk at their surroundings.

"Hi." Alex greets the receptionist at the front desk. "We have an appointment for a campus visit."

"Hello girls." The receptionist greets them before directing them to correct office. They thank her and walk in the direction she indicated. Finding the right door, Alex pushes it open causing a small bell to ring and they walk in and up to the counter at the front.

"Be right there." A feminine voice calls from one of the back offices. A few moments later, a petite blonde who looks to be in her mid-thirties walks over to them. "Hello. How can I help you?"

"Hi. I'm Alex Russo and this is Harper Finkle. We have appointments to visit this campus." Alex shakes the lady's extended hand firmly.

"Oh yes! You're one of our academic scholarship students." The woman smiles warmly at Alex. "Welcome both of you. I'm Jenette Turner, just call me Jena. I have arranged a mentor for each of you." Jena hands the girls each a folder with their name on it. "Inside are maps of the campus, brochures of the university and the programs of study you are interested in, and a listing of the various extracurricular activities and clubs that can be found here. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to your campus mentors."

With quick swish of her skirts, Jena is out the door and down the hall with the two girls trying to keep up. Slowing down in the lobby, she walks over to the waiting area where two boys are sitting, chatting with each other. Walking in front of the boys, Jena speaks to them quietly and they stand up. Staring at their backs, Alex can feel her heart skip a beat. "Justin?" Barely a whisper, it's just loud enough for Harper to turn her head towards her friend.

"Alex and Harper, I'd like you to meet Justin and Zeke. Guys this is…" Jena doesn't get to finish that sentence as Zeke interrupts.

"Alex Russo and Harper Finkle?" Zeke rushes up to the girls with a grin, excited to see someone he knows. "How are you? It's been a while."

"I take it you already know them?" Justin asks sardonically.

"Okay then. I guess I will leave you to it. Have fun and don't be afraid to call if you have any questions." Without waiting for a response, Jena takes off back down the hall and is out of sight in no time.

"I'm Justin Benetti." Justin holds out his hand to Alex and she shakes it automatically.

"Alex" She studies him intently, finding subtle differences from her Justin. This Justin's hair is a little longer, giving it an attractive shaggy appearance. He seems more relaxed and laid back. He has on a black tee-shirt that reads 'Geeks R Hot' with a flaming computer on it and relaxed blue jeans that hang comfortably on his hips. Realizing that she is staring at him, Alex blushes and pulls Harper forward. "This is my friend, Harper." They shake hands but Justin's gaze is pulled back to Alex. He stares for a moment before shaking himself and leading them to the doors.

"I went to high school with these two." Zeke explains to Justin as they all walk out of the building. "Not that we really talked much." He says honestly.

Harper pulls Alex a few steps behind the boys as Zeke regales Justin with tales from his high school years. "Is that the Justin you were asking about in the hospital? Cause, wow!" She whispers into Alex's ear.

"It looks kind of like him, but it can't be him. My Justin was just a dream." Confusion clouding her eyes, Alex stares at Justin's back.

"Sometime dreams can come true." Harper links her arm through Alex's.

"Not this one." Alex replies, knowing her brother never existed. She hasn't told Harper about her dream family yet and doesn't know if she will, after all that wasn't reality. This is.

_**I know this was a long chapter but I hope everyone enjoyed it. Please Review and let me know what you think!**_

_**Btw~ In case you are wondering, there is no wizard competition where you can lose your powers in this reality. There is a wizard test that you have to pass to get your full powers, though.**_


	3. Chapter 3: Now It Gets Really Confusing

_**It's kind of funny. This story has gotten the least amount of reviews of all my stories but I think it is probably my favorite. I will keep writing it regardless, but would still love to hear from readers on what you think of the story. As is my custom, I need to send huge thanks to my reviewers: TVfanatic, SusieAnna97 (Hey again! :D), and WishFlower. Thank you to all of my silent readers too.**_

_***I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place, its characters, or NYU. Just my story is mine.***_

_**~Also, I have never been to NYU so just ignore the inaccuracies in its description~**_

_Previously:_

_Harper pulls Alex a few steps behind the boys as Zeke regales Justin with tales from his high school years. "Is that the Justin you were asking about in the hospital? Cause, wow!" She whispers into Alex's ear._

_"It looks kind of like him, but it can't be him. My Justin was just a dream." Confusion clouding her eyes, Alex stares at Justin's back._

_"Sometime dreams can come true." Harper links her arm through Alex's._

_"Not this one." Alex replies, knowing her brother never existed. She hasn't told Harper about her dream family yet and doesn't know if she will, after all that wasn't reality. This is._

**Chapter 2: Now it gets really confusing**

The foursome walks around with the boys pointing out the different buildings and giving a brief history of the school. Justin often adds some quirky story or funny anecdote after reciting the boring stuff. Alex catches herself staring at him, realizing more and more that this funny, relaxed guy isn't her brother. Justin's gaze collides with hers and he smiles warmly at her.

"Well, that's about it for the tour." Justin looks down at the silver watch on his wrist. "I have class in fifteen minutes."

"Me too." Zeke pipes in.

"Alright, how about we split up now for class and meet back here for lunch at 12:30? Alex comes with me to class and Harper is with Zeke. Everyone cool with that?" Justin looks at each of us for approval, which we all nod our heads. "Great. Come on, Alex. We have to go this way. See you guys later." Justin gives Zeke and Harper a half wave before leading Alex away. They fall into step with each other without saying a word.

"So, what class are we going to?" Alex asks, breaking their comfortable silence.

"It's a specialized study program on robotics." Justin almost misses the fact that Alex has stopped in surprise. He turns to find her staring at him with a strange look on her face.

"Robotics?" Alex questions, knowing that it was one of her 'brother's' favorite subjects too.

"Yeah, but don't worry if you get lost during it." Justin walks back and puts a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I know these guys are on the geeky side and tend to be know-it-alls but the robot we're building is freakin' awesome, so just try to ignore them if you can."

"Now who is sounding on the geeky side?" Alex teases, bumping him with her shoulder.

"It's hard to talk about robotics and not sound geeky." He shrugs his shoulders in acceptance.

"What does your robot do?" Alex takes a deep breath and tries to concentrate on his words, ignoring how familiar it feels.

"Nothing yet." Justin smirks in confidence. "We're just finishing up on the build. Eventually, it will be a personal aid that can be controlled by voice commands. It's for people with physical handicaps and will help them with their day to day activities."

Alex nods her head, thinking it sounds like a worthy cause. Justin's arm falls away and they continue walking into the science building, going to a large lab on the first floor. Inside the room, Alex is not really surprised by the collection of students gathered around a couple lab tables. For the most part, they look like average college students until you notice the small eccentricities. One girl with a mass of blonde curls piled on her head also had several pencils sticking out of the tresses. A guy wearing a country band tee-shirt and sporting an earring has an open backpack at his feet, revealing at least four different calculators and a book on radioactive isotopes. Another looks like your stereotypical nerd with a pocket protector full of pens and greased up hair that is parted and slicked back severely.

Justin heads for the computer console near the tables with Alex following along behind. "Hey." He calls out and the others barely turn their heads to greet him. A couple jerk back to glare at Alex.

"Who's she?" One of the students asks, hostility evident in her voice. "What's she doing here?"

"This is Alex." Justin takes Alex's hand and pulls her closer to him. "And she's just visiting."

"This is a private class." The girl says rudely, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah and I have permission so back off." Justin turns to Alex and pats her on the arm. "Sorry about that. She's always a bit bitchy." He turns back to the computer and starts typing.

"You inputted that wrong." Alex says suddenly after watching the screen. She blushes, not quite understanding how she knows that.

"What?" Looking up at her with a raised eyebrow, he takes his fingers off the keyboard. "Where?"

"Right there." Alex points to a spot in the code and, sure enough, she is right. If he had tried the run the program, it would have gone off in an infinite loop.

"Crap." Justin quickly fixes the error and looks back at her. "Thanks."

Shortly after that, the teacher arrives and class begins but it's not like regular classes. It's more like a think tank or brainstorming as the students and teacher discuss the building and programming of the robot while going on about their tasks. Not once does any of them pull out a text book or ask about tests. Alex listens in on several of the conversations and realizes that she understands most of what is being said. When the teacher, Mr. Greyforth, gets to Justin, she finds herself joining in on the discussion much to everyone's surprise.

At the end of class, the teacher approaches her with a friendly smile. "How did you like the class?"

"It was interesting." Alex returns his smile. "Not what I expected a class to be like."

"Well, most classes aren't like this. This is a specialized study." Mr. Greyforth shakes her hand. "It was a pleasure to meet you. I have another class to teach so I have to get going."

Justin and Alex make their way out of the building and into the fresh air. Finding a bench near the entrance, they sit down. It's still a half hour before they need to meet Zeke and Harper.

"That was more fun than I thought it was going to be at the beginning." Alex admits, tapping her foot on the sidewalk.

"Yeah, Patricia is a real piece of work. I'm sorry she acted like that." Justin lifts a leg over to straddle the bench and look at Alex. "I'm impressed by how well you did in there. Most people would have either fallen asleep or gone off the deep end listening to so many eggheads in one room. I see that you definitely deserve that scholarship." Alex shrugs her shoulders, not sure how to respond. They remain quiet for a bit until Justin stands up. "We should probably go meet Zeke and Harper now."

Finding the two back where they left them earlier, the four head towards the cafeteria. Harper latches onto Alex's arm and slows down their pace so they are following the boys again.

"That class was so boring." Harper complains. "It was Western Civ and Zeke wouldn't sit still the whole time. It was driving me crazy. I hope the rest of the day is better than this. How was your class?"

"Actually, it was good. They're building a robot and I got to sit in while they were building it." Alex is very thankful that she didn't have to sit through a history class like Harper.

"Sit in?" Hearing the last part, Justin turns around with a smirk. "This girl pointed out an error in my coding and then proceeded to get into an in-depth discussion with my teacher about theoretical mechanics, which was a little off topic but Mr. Greyforth ate it up like it was candy." He laughs, shaking his head at Alex. "And I was worried about you having to hang out with those brainiacs. You should have said something."

"You never asked." Alex casts a worried look at Harper, who thankfully catches on. Alex doesn't want to admit that she didn't know that she knew that stuff because of the accident. Harper quickly changes the subject, pulling Alex forward.

"I'm starving. What's good to eat around here?" Alex squeezes Harper's arm in gratitude.

They walk into the cafeteria, each filling a tray with food before grabbing a free table. They chat about their mornings while consuming their lunches. It's fun and relaxed.

"I don't know what you have planned for after classes but I have a suggestion." A devilish gleam sparks in Justin's eyes as he looks at the others. "My cousin's band is playing at a club just off campus tonight." Seeing the skeptical looks from the girls, he shakes his head. "This is an under twenty-one club so you'll be fine. I'm underage too, you know. What do you say?"

"I'm in." Zeke eagerly agrees and both boys look at Alex and Harper.

"Let me call my mom to see. She's our ride home." Alex whips out her phone to dial.

"I can drive you, if you need a lift home afterwards." Justin offers, since it is his idea.

"Hold on." Alex calls her mom and they have a quick conversation with Alex promising to be careful and reassuring her mother of Justin's standup character. Finally, she hangs up with a triumphant smile. "We're in."

"Do you need to get permission, Harper?" Zeke wonders, looking at her in concern.

"No, my mom doesn't care." Harper admits, tonelessly. "Besides, I'm staying at Alex's tonight so she wouldn't notice anyway."

"Great. Then we are on for tonight." Justin grins and looks down at his watch again. "Time to go to my next class, Alex." They agree to meet at Justin's dorm after their last class. Justin gives Zeke his phone number to call when they arrive and they separate once more. Harper rolls her eyes at Alex before following Zeke out of the room.

The afternoon goes by fairly quickly for Alex. She sits in on two more classes with Justin, the more traditional kind. One is on modern art and the other is Calculus 2. Before she knows it, they are walking into the lobby of Justin's dorm and heading towards the elevators to go to his room.

"Do you have any roommates?" Looking around the lobby at the students milling about, Alex leans against the wall while they wait for the elevator.

"Yeah but I don't think they'll be in the room. They have class right now." Glancing at her nervously, Justin clears his throat. "You don't mind being there alone with me do you? If you do, we can just wait down here. I don't mind."

"No. It's fine." Alex straightens as the elevator doors open, spilling more people out into the lobby. She and Justin walk in and he keys in his floor. "I'm curious about your room."

The ride up is quiet and both jump slightly at the ding from the elevator, announcing their arrival on the correct floor. The doors slide open to show long hallways on either side with numbered doors along them. There is a musty kind of smell, reminding Alex of textbooks and old gym socks. The walls are a dull beige and the linoleum floor has seen better days. Justin leads her down the hall on the right to a heavy wood door with a small peep hole at eyelevel and 624 written underneath. He unlocks and opens the door, heading in first to turn on the lights.

Alex steps into the shared living space which has a brown sofa in front of a television, two arm chairs and a small counter with a short refrigerator in back. The walls are the same beige as the ones in the hall but have been covered by several different posters of bands and movies. There is a door on either side of the room where Alex assumes the bedrooms are. Justin opens the door on the left and goes in to drop off his things. Alex peeks inside to see two single beds, two study desks, and two dressers.

One half of the room is covered in technical posters and pictures of geniuses throughout history. Everything is very neat and orderly. The other side, while clean, is cluttered with masses of books and loose papers. A couple posters of metal bands adorn the walls and a rather impressive stereo takes up space on top of the dresser. Curious, Alex steps closer and is shocked to see Justin throw his stuff down on the unmade bed on the cluttered side of the room.

"I would have picked up more if I'd known I was going to have company." Blushing slightly, Justin leads her out of the room to the couches, closing his bedroom door firmly. "Want something to drink? I have bottled water, soda and iced tea."

"Water is good." Still looking at his bedroom door, Alex shakes herself and smiles at Justin. "I like your half of the room. The other side looks so tidy, I'd be afraid to touch anything." Justin laughs and hands her a bottle of water. "What kind of music does your cousin play?"

"Rock and a little metal." Sitting in one of the chairs, Justin glances over at her. "I probably should have asked what kind of music you liked before inviting you."

"I probably should have asked what kind was going to be played before agreeing." Alex gives him a crooked smile. "Luckily for both of us, I like rock and metal. So does Harper."

"You two are best friends?" Though he says it like a question, it sounds more like a statement but Alex answers anyway.

"Yep, since Kindergarten." Alex pauses to take a drink of water. "I'm so glad she decided to go to NYU too. I was worried when I got the scholarship that I would be coming here by myself. I mean, it's not far from home but it'd still be nice to have my best friend on campus."

"Where do you call home?" Justin slouches into his chair, getting comfortable.

"Waverly Place." Alex slips off her boots and slides her feet underneath her.

"I know where that is. It actually not too far from my home. I live…" Suddenly he stops talking and stares at one of her boots. Curious, Alex looks down and curses herself as she sees her wand sticking out of one boot.

"Uh…" Alex throws her feet back down to cover her boots and casually looks back at Justin. "So, where is this club we're going to?"

"Is that a wand?" Justin's eyes widen as he stares intently at the boots behind her feet.

"No?" Alex answers without much conviction.

"Yes it is." A wide smile breaks across Justin's face. "You're a wizard too."

"No, I'm not… wait. Did you just say 'too'?" Alex gasps.

"Yep." Pulling out a gun metal gray wand with a green crystal at the end, Justin laughs.

"Wow." Standing up, Alex paces across the room and back before sitting back down. "This is weird."

"No, this is great. I don't know very many wizards outside of my own family and none on campus except one of my cousins." Justin says excitedly, putting his wand away. "It's going to be so cool to have you here next year."

"Do you have a big family?" Alex pulls out her wand and twirls it in her fingers.

"A big Italian family. I'm an only child but I've got tons of cousins, aunts and uncles who all live near my parents." He slouches back into the chair. "What about you?"

"It's just me, my mom and Uncle Ernesto. The rest are down in Mexico and my dad's side doesn't ever talk to us." Alex replies, trying to hide her yearning for the big, happy family that doesn't exist except in her memories. Before Justin can say anything else, his phone rings and he runs down to bring Zeke and Harper up.

Once in the door, Harper plops down on the couch next to Alex and sighs happily. Zeke walks over to the counter with Justin to get a drink. Harper rolls her eyes at Alex again. "Zeke is driving me nuts. Don't get me wrong, he's a nice guy and all, but I think he's just a bit insane. He practically bounces around the room and starts spouting off randomly about some UFO club he belongs to."

"How were the classes?" Alex changes the subject, trying to calm Harper down.

"They were fine. We went to a creative writing class and one on meteorology." The girls talk about their days and the boys join in. Soon, it is almost time to go.

"Can I use your bathroom to freshen up?" Alex requests.

"Sure. It's right through that door." Justin points over his shoulder at a door hidden away in one corner of the room that Alex hadn't noticed before.

"Thanks." Alex goes into the bathroom with Harper and they fix their makeup and adjust their hair before coming back out. "Ready to go." Justin walks out of his room with a fresh black v-neck tee shirt on with a band logo on the back. "Is that the group we're going to see? _Hexed_?"

"Yeah." Justin grabs a black leather jacket and leads them down and out of the building to a parking lot a couple blocks away. He unlocks the doors on a small blue SUV and everyone climbs in, guys in front and girls in the back. In less than twenty minutes, they are parking outside a small club called _Green_. The outside is stone with glass doors and a burly, bald bouncer sitting on a stool outside.

Justin walks up to the intimidating looking man and greets him with a slap on the back. The guy motions them through saying that the band is just starting to warm up on stage. The club doesn't open for another five minutes and people are already lining up outside to get in. A few grumble as they walk in without having to wait but they ignore them.

Inside, the club is done up in blacks and greens with cozy booths lining the walls and small tables with chairs cluttered near a sleek wood bar which has a listing for different smoothies and non-alcoholic drink concoctions along with soda and water. There is a large dance floor which dominates the main part of the room and somewhat tacky, glittering disco balls hanging from the ceiling. The stage at the back is framed in thick green curtains with a black floor and background.

Four guys are standing on the raised platform surrounded by instruments, tuning their guitars. Sitting behind the drums is a guy with long black hair pulled back in a pony tail and black eyeliner. Another stands behind a keyboard with spiky blonde hair and ripped jeans. The third is lounging on a stool with his legs crossed in black leather pants, dark purple spiked hair and a silver guitar resting on his lap.

The last sends a tingle of familiarity through Alex though his back is turned. Wavy, short dark brown hair curls around his ears and his neck. His tall, lean body is relaxed as he tunes a black guitar with silver stars etched into it. Straight leg jeans rest on his hips and he's wearing a shirt similar to Justin's just like the rest of the band. He says something to the other musicians causing them to laugh and her heart skips a beat.

"Max?" Alex whispers but no one hears as they are all focusing on the stage. It looks like him but an older version of him, not her younger brother. This guys looks to be about her age or a year or two older.

"Hey Max!" Justin calls out to the young man, who turns around.

"Justin! Hey Cuz, I wasn't sure you were going to make it." The cousins give each other one of those manly half hugs where they bump shoulders while gripping their hands.

"Got some people I want you to meet." Justin motions for them to come over. Zeke rushes up to shake hands while Harper and Alex follow more slowing staring at Max. Zeke introduces himself and Max smiles at him, not sure what to think, before looking over at the girls.

"Who are these lovely ladies? Cuz, I think you've been holding out on me." Max swaggers up to the girls and holds out his hand. "I'm Max."

Justin walks over by Alex. "This is Alex and that's Harper." Max shakes their hands but lingers a bit longer over Harper's, giving her his most charming smile. Harper blushes at the attention.

_**Another long chapter with a few surprises I hope. What did you think? Please Review.**_

_**Btw~ I will be writing a new song for Max's band in the next chapter. Just a little heads up for those of you who were fans of the songs in my other stories.**_


	4. Chapter 4: Dance with Me

_**I need to send huge thanks to my awesome reviewers (I got 5 this time! Yay!): Ali, SusieAnna97 (nice to hear from you again!), Dontcallmesweetie, WhedonGeekGirl517, and WishFlower. You guys rock! Thanks to my silent readers too. You're quiet but I know you're out there.**_

_***I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place, its characters, or NYU. Just the story and song are mine.***_

_**~Also, I have never been to NYU so just ignore the inaccuracies in its description. The club Green does not exist...as far as I know.~**_

_Previously:_

_"Hey Max!" Justin calls out to the young man, who turns around._

_"Justin! Hey Cuz, I wasn't sure you were going to make it." The cousins give each other one of those manly half hugs where they bump shoulders while gripping their hands._

_"Got some people I want you to meet." Justin motions for them to come over. Zeke rushes up to shake hands while Harper and Alex follow more slowing staring at Max. Zeke introduces himself and Max smiles at him, not sure what to think, before looking over at the girls._

_"Who are these lovely ladies? Cuz, I think you've been holding out on me." Max swaggers up to the girls and holds out his hand. "I'm Max."_

_Justin walks over by Alex. "This is Alex and that's Harper." Max shakes their hands but lingers a bit longer over Harper's, giving her his most charming smile. Harper blushes at the attention._

**Chapter 4: Dance with Me**

"Doors are opening!" Someone shouts from the front of the club. Max grins and excuses himself to walk back to the stage. Justin leads the others over to a corner booth near the band before walking over to the bar to get the drinks. Alex and Harper sit on one side while Zeke occupies the other and all of them are quietly watching as the room begins to fill up with people. The lights dim and recorded rock music starts playing over the speakers. The bar area and small tables fill up quickly.

A little while later, a handsome brunette spots the girls and gives them a leering smile. Slicking back his hair with one hand and holding his drink with the other, he saunters over to the booth confidently. Leaning against the wall, he ignores Zeke's presence and keeps his attention focused on Alex and Harper. The girls look at each other with identical grimaces.

"I'm Richard and, if you don't mind me saying so, you two are slammin'." Richard winks at them and grabs Alex's hand, pulling her out of the booth. "What say you ditch the loser-boy over there and join me?"

"Hey!" Zeke whines in protest.

"Not interested." Alex says pointedly and tries to jerk her arm away. "And Zeke is way better company than you."

"Playing hard to get?" Richard sniffs at her hair, pulling her closer. "I like it."

Justin arrives back at the table and sets the drinks down. Turning towards the intruder, he glares menacingly. "Let her go. She said she's not interested."

"Yeah, right. That's what they all… oomph!" Justin goes to wrench the jerk away from Alex, but Richard doubles over clutching his stomach and hopping on one foot before he can do anything. Alex, her eyes glittering in rage, pushes Richard over so he falls flat on the floor.

"Nobody manhandles me… ever!" Alex stands tense and ready for battle should the guy decide to come at her again.

Giving her an admiring look, Justin places himself between Alex and Richard. "I think it's time for you to leave." Justin motions to Max to get one of the bouncers. Having seen the whole thing from the stage, Max quickly does as his cousin asks and leads a man with bulging muscles and a goatee over to their table. Without a word, the bouncer lifts the sleazy Richard up by the collar and escorts him out of the building. "It pays to know the owners and staff. You can get scum like that kicked out."

Alex feels the adrenaline leave her body and she sits down heavily in her seat. She takes a healthy drink of her banana berry smoothie. "Thanks for getting rid of him."

"You hardly even needed me. You were amazing." Justin sits across from her, next to a rather shocked looking Zeke.

"That guy was lucky." Harper laughs at the guys' incredulous looks. "Alex could have kicked that loser's butt ten ways from Sunday if she wanted. You should have seen the last guy that wouldn't take no for an answer. Of course, that was her protecting me that time."

"Who tried to hurt you?" Max, who is still lingering nearby, asks furiously as he stands stiffly next to the table. Though he doesn't know Harper, the thought of someone trying to hurt her infuriates him.

"Don't worry about it. It was a while ago and Alex took care of him." Harper waves it off and smiles up at Max, but his anger doesn't let up.

"Don't worry Maxie, I got him." Without thinking, Alex uses the nickname from her dream and pats him on the arm. "He'll be lucky if he can reproduce."

The guys all cross their hands in front of them and groan at the thought. After recovering from the idea, Max looks at Alex curiously. "How did you know my nickname? Nobody but family ever calls me that."

Everyone turns to stare at Alex but all she can do is shrug. "It just popped out. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I don't mind." Feeling strangely comfortable around her, Max decides to believe her and excuses himself. "We're on in a few minutes. I hope you guys enjoy the show." He starts to walk away but turns back for a moment. "I'll see you after?" They all agree and he continues onto the stage.

An announcer comes onto the stage and a spotlight hits him, getting the crowds' attention. "Now, it is the time you have been waiting for. Club Green is proud to present the hottest local band, Hexed!" A cheer goes up around the room and the platform is rushed by a wave of teenage girls, eager to get closer to the musicians. The spotlight widens to encompass the whole stage and sparkling off the shiny instruments. Max walks up to the microphone in the center and greets the crowd before they start playing. Max belts out the song as the lead singer in a strong tenor.

"Wow, Max can really sing! The band's great!" Alex shouts to be heard over the music. The others nod in agreement, Harper gazing at Max in wonder.

After a few fast paced songs to get the crowd going, the band switches to a slow, lovely ballad. Justin, watching Alex sway to the music, stands up and offers her his hand. "Wanna dance?"

"Sure." Placing her smaller hand in his, Alex follows him to the edge of the dance floor and tries to wrap her arms around his neck. Justin stops her, wrapping her right hand in his left, pulling it close, and placing her left hand on his shoulder while his right rests lightly on her waist. They step in slow circles, Alex following Justin's lead. Sighing, she loses herself at the feel, forgetting everything and just enjoying the moment. All too soon, the music ends and there's quiet in the room. Justin looks into her eyes and Alex can't help but blush a little, causing him to smile.

"I have a little treat for everyone tonight." Max's voice cuts through the silence. "My cousin, Justin, is here tonight and, if you give him a little encouragement, I'm sure we can get him up here to do a song with us." The crowd takes up chanting Justin's name as Max smirks at his cousin in challenge.

Justin leads a confused Alex back to the booth and hops on the stage with Max. The crowd cheers wildly, excited to see what the newcomer can do. Justin straps on a blood red guitar and walks up to the mic. "This song I wrote a while ago. It's called, Waiting for You." The band begins to play, the chords melding together like a heartbeat. Justin's hands dance across the strings of his guitar and his voice is like molasses, smooth with the bite of passion.

_I don't know who you are_

_Where you could be_

_I've been hoping for so long_

_Wanting you with me_

_There's a longing deep in my soul_

_Wanting to break free_

_I'm waiting for you_

_Waiting for you_

_Where are you_

_Why aren't you here_

_Another summer come and gone_

_Another season without you near_

_Another pain I can't take_

_Wiping away the tears_

_I've been waiting for you_

_Waiting for you_

_I've been waiting for you_

_Waiting for you_

_You're a mystery to me_

_That I just need to believe_

_A heart filled with love_

_That's eager to beat_

_I've been waiting for you_

_Waiting for you_

_I've been waiting for you_

_Waiting for you_

_You're the one I need_

_You set me on fire_

_You fill my dreams_

_My haunting desire_

_Whispered kisses in the night_

_My soul flies higher_

_I'm waiting for you_

_Waiting for you_

_You are my destiny_

_My fate set in stone_

_I search the world for you_

_Tired and on my own_

_Precious time is wasting_

_I'm standing all alone_

_I've been waiting for you_

_Waiting for you_

_I've been waiting for you_

_Waiting for you_

_You're a mystery to me_

_That I just need to believe_

_A heart filled with love_

_That's eager to beat_

_I've been waiting for you_

_Waiting for you_

_I've been waiting for you_

_Waiting for you_

_Wanting for so long_

_You're all I see_

_My dream girl_

_You're all I need_

_My dream girl_

_Where can you be_

_I've been waiting for you_

_Waiting for you_

_I've been waiting for you_

_Waiting for you_

The last chords play and the whole club breaks into applause. Justin waves at the audience and sets his guitar back on its stand. Hopping down off the stage, several girls crowd around him with flirtatious smiles and vacuous giggles. Justin weaves his way through them to get back to the table but can't sit down as they pull at his arms pleading with him to go with them. Justin polite thanks them and tries to pull his arm back without success. Alex, sickened by the display, stands up and walks in front of him.

"While I'm sure Justin appreciates how much you enjoyed his song, he is unavailable to join you this evening as he has prior plans." Alex smiles at the girls in a not so friendly manner and they get the hint to leave but glare at her the whole time. "Thanks and have a good evening." After waving them off, she and Justin sit back down.

"Thanks." Justin rubs his wrists where the eager girls had held him. "Some of those girls had strong grips."

"No problem. Girls like that annoy me anyway." Alex smiles at him. "I didn't know you could sing."

"Well, we did just meet today. Hardly enough time to fit my whole life's story." Justin laughes and winks at Alex. "Man, I haven't done that in a while. I wasn't expecting Max to pull that on me." Justin runs a nervous hand through his hair, giving him a decidedly attractive, rumpled look. Alex giggles as the disgruntled look on his face.

The rest of evening they spend enjoying the music and each other's company. Zeke, who apparently loves to dance, often convinces at least one of them onto the dance floor for some crazy fun. By the last song, all four are out there dancing wildly and laughing. At the end, they collapse back into the booth to catch their breath and wait for Max.

"So what did you guys think?" Pulling up a chair, Max sits down with a grin.

"Amazing." Alex compliments, taking a last drink from her glass. Justin and Zeke nod their heads, agreeing with her.

"That was the best." Harper shyly glances at Max through her lashes. "You're a great singer."

"Thanks." Max winks at her and stands up. "I better go help pack up. Do you have time to grab a bite to eat?"

"Actually, we should probably be heading home. It's pretty late and I don't Mom freaking out on me." Alex grimaces as she gets out of the booth. "Sorry."

"Maybe next time. I hope there's a next time." With a wave and a last look at Harper, Max walks back to the stage.

The group leaves the club and pile back into Justin's vehicle. He drops off Zeke first because his dorm is closest and then heads down to Waverly Place, following Alex's directions to her front door. Harper says a quick goodbye and hurries inside out of the cold. As Alex is about to follow her, Justin climbs out to grab her hand and pull her back to stand in front of him.

"Thanks for coming tonight." Justin smiles, still holding her hand lightly.

"It was fun." Alex, feeling conflicting emotions, stares up at him.

"The whole day was fun." Justin leans against his door. "I have to admit that I was dreading having to drag a strange girl to all of my classes. I'm glad it was you." He clears his throat gruffly and darts his eyes down to the ground. "I was wondering if maybe we could do this again sometime?"

Alex hesitates, unable to decide if this feels weird or not. "S-sure." She whispers, giving in to the temptation of getting to spend more time with him. "Do you have a pen?"

"Yes, just a second." Justin hastily opens his door and digs a pen out of a compartment under the radio. Standing up, he hands it to her. "Do you need paper?"

Alex shakes her head and takes his arm, shoving up the sleeve of his coat. Being careful not to push too hard, she writes her name and number across his forearm. Justin stares for a second with a curious half smile.

"Why did you write it there instead of on my hand?" He asks, as she hands the pen back.

"So you can wash your hands if you need to and not smear it." Alex grins impishly up at him.

"Clever. I better get going." Justin, feeling bold, leans down and places a quick kiss on her cheek. "See you soon." With that, he gets back into his car and watches as walks into her home before leaving.

Inside, Alex leans against her front door with her fingertips touching the spot he kissed. "Why does life have to be so complicated?" She sighs and walks upstairs, expecting an interrogation from both her best friend and her mother.

**Are my chapters too long? I can't seem to stop writing this story. Please, Review and let me know what you think. Like it/Love it/Hate it I want to know. Also, what did you think of my song? **

**Thanks for reading!**

**~Georgie**


	5. Chapter 5: Another Meeting

_**Big Thanks to my reviewers: sk8tergrl700, EvilEmmaEvans, dark mistress in the shadows, SusieAnna97, Jalex4evr, and Wishflower. Your reviews inspire me to write more and I hope you continue to enjoy this story.**_

_***I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place, its characters, or NYU. Just the story and song are mine.***_

_**~Also, I have never been to NYU so just ignore the inaccuracies in its description~**_

_Previously:_

_"Why did you write it there instead of on my hand?" He asks, as she hands the pen back._

_"So you can wash your hands if you need to and not smear it." Alex grins impishly up at him._

_"Clever. I better get going." Justin, feeling bold, leans down and places a quick kiss on her cheek. "See you soon." With that, he gets back into his car and watches as walks into her home before leaving._

_Inside, Alex leans against her front door with her fingertips touching the spot he kissed. "Oh my." She sighs and walks upstairs, expecting an interrogation from both her best friend and her mother._

**Chapter 5: Another Meeting**

After thirty minutes of 'girl talk', Alex finally manages to escape to the peace and quiet of her own bedroom. She evaded their questions as much as possible, sticking to the facts. She brushes her teeth and changes into a comfortable red tank top with match short-shorts before climbing into her bed. Pushing the pillows around, she finds a comfortable spot and promptly falls asleep, too exhausted to think any further.

School the next day is a strange experience for Alex. There really isn't a huge difference from her dream life except for herself. Mr. Laritate is still the principal and obsessed with the Wild West. GiGi is still the primping, wanna-be beauty queen. The school looks the same with the same teacher, the classes, and the same students… except for Alex.

Teachers smile and welcome her back to class without rolling their eyes or looking terrified. Alex's seat for each is near the front and she understands everything that is being said. Other students greet her in the hall between classes, from geeks to jocks. By lunch, Alex receives three requests for the Prom and two date invites for the coming weekend. She turns down the dates saying that she still needs to rest and recuperate. The Prom ones, she says she will consider, too frustrated to make a decision.

At the end of lunch, Alex's cell phone rings from inside her bag. Digging it out, she is surprised to see an unknown number in the caller ID. She answers it tentatively, ready to hang up. "Hello?"

"Hi. Alex? It's Justin." The deep tones of his voice vibrate through her, causing her to smile.

"Hi." Seeing Harper's questioning look, Alex shoos her away and walks out of the cafeteria with the phone against her ear and her bag over her shoulder.

"This isn't a bad time is it? I'm not interrupting a class, am I?"

"No. I just finished lunch, so I have about ten minutes before my next class." Alex stops when she gets outside the front doors and takes a seat on one of the low stone walls along the walk. "What's up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" Justin clears his throat nervously. "My Robotics teacher was very impressed with you and he wants me to invite you back to our class tomorrow. I explained about your school and he said he would clear it with your principal if you are interested."

"I'd love to come but I don't have a ride." Crestfallen, Alex sighs in disappointment.

"That's not a problem. I can come by to pick you up, if you want." Justin offers quickly.

"Then I'd love to." They spend a couple more minutes hammering out the particulars before hanging up. Alex heads back inside, hurrying her pace as the bell rings, heading to her next class. The rest of the afternoon Alex barely hears a word anyone says, lost in thoughts about tomorrow.

During the last class, the office calls Alex in to speak with Mr. Laritate. Alex feels a little off being in his office without having pulled anything to get there, though the office is still the familiar with its shades of brown and wild horse mural behind the desk. Once inside, they discuss the plan for tomorrow over a cup of coffee. He gives his permission and promises to inform her teachers so she won't get in trouble for skipping.

Alex walks home alone since Harper has a Helping Hands Club meeting. It's a nice spring day with blue skies and sunshine. On her walk, Alex enjoys being a part of the city: people talking, cars driving past and the sweet smell of bread baking mixed with coffee from the café on the corner. It is during this time that she feels completely herself with no confusing memories, no unbidden feelings and no expectations.

At home, Alex walks into the lair to meet with her Uncle Ernesto and her mom for a wizard lesson. Setting down her bag, she plops into a comfy overstuffed chair. Alex pulls the spell book closer and looks at the two adults expectantly. Seeing her mother holding a wand is a bit disconcerting but it helps that she does vaguely recall it from her memories.

"Before we start, I need to tell you that I have been invited back to the Robotics class at NYU tomorrow. The professor requested it and okayed everything with my school. You don't mind if I go, do you?" Biting her lower lip, Alex looks at her mother nervously, hoping for approval.

"It's fine with me, Honey, but how are you getting there? I have to work tomorrow and I don't want you using magic to pop in and out where you might be seen by mortals." Theresa sits on the edge of the couch across from Alex.

"Justin offered to pick me up. I would just pop into his dorm room since he is a wizard, too, but I'm afraid his roommates might be around." Alex opens her book, trying to look casual about it.

"You didn't tell me he was a wizard! I wonder if I know his family." Theresa grins in excitement. "What is his family name?"

"Benetti." Alex leans forward, interested in finding out more about Justin.

"Hey, I know the Benetties." Ernesto joins in on the conversation. "Andrew Benetti and I went to Wiztech together. Good guy, really smart with a big heart."

"I suppose its fine with me if want to go tomorrow but I think I'll have Ernesto reacquaint himself with his former schoolmate." Theresa stands up, done talking about it.

"Ugh, Mom! Please don't embarrass me." Alex groans and hides her face in her hands.

"It won't be me embarrassing you. Your Uncle Ernesto is the one who will be paying them a visit." Her mom says over her shoulder as she grabs supplies for the lesson.

"Well, that's slightly better." Alex concedes grudgingly.

"Hey! Don't worry about a thing." Ernesto wraps an arm around Alex's shoulders as he sits on the arm of her chair. "I got your back."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Alex mumbles. "Let's get to the lesson before Mom comes up with any other bright ideas."

The lesson goes smoothly and, without brothers to compete with or be compared to, Alex picks it up quite easily. The spell itself sounds simple enough. Called the Neat and Tidy spell, it basically cleans up a room. The difficulty comes with the fact that you have to concentrate the whole time on what needs to be cleaned and where everything should be put away. Just saying the spell will create havoc as items start randomly stacking themselves.

"Well done, Alex." Theresa compliments as Alex uses the spell on a corner of the lair that they had purposely wrecked. "I'll do one last example and then we can call it a day." Theresa raises her own wand and says the spell. "This place is a mess that is quite mighty. Clean it all, neat and tidy." As she waves her wand this way and that, everything is put back to rights and dust disappears. "Much better. Let's get some supper, I'm starving." Theresa tucks her wand away up her sleeve and leads the way out of the lair.

The next day, Alex makes it impatiently through his first two morning classes. The bell rings and she tries to hurry out to her locker but is stopped suddenly by Harper. "Is it time to meet Justin? You two would make such a cute couple. I wonder if his cousin, Max, is seeing anyone?"

"Yes, it's time and you are making me late." Alex answers quickly, trying to hurry her friend along. "We aren't a couple and I don't know if Maxie is dating anyone and find it strange to think about."

"Why would it be strange?" Harper looks at her friend in concern but Alex isn't paying attention. Looking in the same direction that Alex has her eyes glued, Harper finds a very flirtatious Gigi trying to get Justin's attention near Alex's locker.

"Hi there." Gigi, a pretty brunette girl, approaches Justin as he leans casually against a set a lockers. "I'm Gigi. I haven't seen you before. Are you new here?"

"No, I'm just picking someone up." Justin replies, wondering why this girl is talking to him. He shifts uncomfortably.

"What school do you go to? Are you thinking of transferring?" Gigi leans closer to him.

"Um, no. I go to NYU." Justin gives a weak smile and shifts away again.

"Oooh, a college man." Gigi bats her eyes at him and touches his forearm with one hand. "NYU is one of my college choices. Maybe you could show me around sometime?"

"I'm pretty busy right now, sorry." Justin moves slightly away so that her hand drops off of him, but trying not to be rude. "I'm sure you can schedule a campus tour through the school though."

"You're here now, so you must have some time." She smiles seductively up at him and winks. "How about this weekend?"

"Can't. I already have plans this weekend." Standing up from the lockers to take another step away, Justin is a bit creeped out by this aggressive girl. "I'm only here to pick up my…"

"Justin!" Alex greets him with a big smile, throwing a glare at the girl next to him.

"You ready to go, Alex? I've got my bike outside." Grinning, Justin walks forward and gives her a hug, eager to get away from Gigi.

"Sure. Let me just grab a couple things from my locker." Opening her locker, Alex switches out the books and closes it again. "All set."

"Let me get that for you." Justin takes her backpack and throws it over his shoulder.

"What?" Both of them jump, having forgotten about Gigi standing there. "You're picking up her?" Gigi looks at Alex in disgust and disbelief.

"Yep." Justin smiles at Alex and laces the fingers of his free hand through hers to drive the point home to Gigi. Looking over, he spots Harper stifling a laugh behind Alex. "Hey, Harper. My cousin, Max, and I are going out Friday night and we were wondering if you and Alex would like to join us?"

"Sounds like fun." Harper agrees, trying very hard not to break out in a very uncool happy dance.

"I'm in." Alex seconds.

"I thought you said you were busy?" Gigi accuses through gritted teeth.

"I said I have plans. The girls have just agreed so I am busy… now." With that, Justin and Alex say goodbye and walk out of the school holding hands.

**_Hope everyone enjoyed this latest chapter. Please Review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading._**


	6. Chapter 6: Geekiness and Confusion

_**Big thanks to my reviewers for Chapter 5: GravityBlackBowler (awesome name), Jalex4evr (hope you enjoy this chapter as much), SusieAnna97 (this is her reality, I'm not gonna switch it back on you to mess with your head, promise), and EvilEmmaEvans (yay, you reviewed again!). Pardon me while I do a little virtual happy dance….. oh yeah. I might not have a lot of reviewers but the ones I got are awesome!**_

_***I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place, its characters, or NYU. Just the story and song are mine.***_

_**~Also, I have never been to NYU so just ignore the inaccuracies in its description~**_

_Previously:_

_"Let me get that for you." Justin takes her backpack and throws it over his shoulder._

_"What?" Both of them jump, having forgotten about Gigi standing there. "You're picking up her?" Gigi looks at Alex in disgust and disbelief._

_"Yep." Justin smiles at Alex and laces the fingers of his free hand through hers to drive the point home to Gigi. Looking over, he spots Harper stifling a laugh behind Alex. "Hey, Harper. My cousin, Max, and I are going out Friday night and we were wondering if you and Alex would like to join us?"_

_"Sounds like fun." Harper agrees, trying very hard not to break out in a very uncool happy dance._

_"I'm in." Alex seconds._

_"I thought you said you were busy?" Gigi accuses through gritted teeth._

_"I said I have plans. The girls have just agreed so I am busy… now." With that, Justin and Alex say goodbye and walk out of the school holding hands._

**Chapter 6: Geekiness and Confusion**

"Thank you for saving me from whoever that girl is." Letting go of Alex's hand, Justin pretends to wipe sweat off of his brow. "She was a more than a little stalkerish creepy."

"You're welcome." Alex giggles as she walks with him out to the parking lot. "The look on her face was priceless when she realized you were there to pick up me. I should have you pick me up from school every day just to tick her off."

"I take it you don't like her much." Justin grins down at Alex.

"Gee, whatever gave that away?" Resting a hand on her hip, Alex bats her innocent eyes up at Justin causing him to laugh.

"Just a hunch I guess." Justin stops in front of a red Honda motorcycle and straps her bag to the back rack. "I hope you don't mind but it is such a nice day that I decided to ride my bike." Seeing her hesitate, he smacks himself on the forehead. "Damn, I knew I should have called to ask you first. Sorry."

"No. No. It's fine." Alex gives him a nervous half smile. "I've never been on a motorcycle before."

"I promise I'm a very safe driver and I won't let anything happen to you." Justin draws a cross over his heart with two fingers and holds them up. "Scout's honor."

"You were a boyscout?" Alex asks, crossing her arms in front of her.

"Well, no, but the promise still stands." Justin replies sheepishly as he places a black helmet on Alex's head and attaches the chin strap. He looks into her eyes with concern. "Are you sure you're okay with this? I'm sure I can zap my car into the middle of the parking lot with no one looking if you need me to."

"Ahh, such a reckless use of magic. I'm shocked." Throwing a hand over her mouth, Alex widens her eyes in mock outrage before dissolving into giggles. "Justin, its fine, although I'm glad I decided to wear jeans today."

Justin sighs in relief and climbs onto the bike, strapping his own black helmet on. Holding out his hand, helps Alex climb on behind him. "Hold on tight. I don't want to lose you." With that, he starts up the engine and they roar off down the road. Alex squeals in excitement and clutches her arms around him.

Holding Justin close, Alex leans her head against his back and watches as the scenery passes by, the wind whipping at their clothes. At a stop light, Justin rubs a hand across her arms. "Are you doing okay back there?"

"I'm good." Alex smiles into his back, warmed by his concern.

Pulling into a parking spot near his dorm, Justin turns off the engine and helps Alex off. Attaching both helmets to the bike, he hops off and pulls out his wand after making sure no one is watching. "This is a ride I truly like, send them to jail if they try to steal this bike."

"I guess that is one way to protect your bike." Laughing, Alex tries to take her bag from him but Justin insists on carrying it for her. "You know, I can carry my own stuff."

"I know but that doesn't mean you have to." Justin grins at her and laces the fingers of his free hand through hers. "Come on. We have a little time before class starts."

"Where are we going?" Alex allows herself to be led by Justin, all the while trying to convince herself that holding his hand was fine. Friends hold hands, so what if it sends funny feelings through her body at his touch. It's Justin.

"I thought we could sit in the park for a little bit and enjoy the day." Smiling, Justin leads her down the sidewalk and across the street to Washington Square Park. The earthy smell of the grass mixes with the distant smell of falafel on the slight breeze while the quiet drone of conversations punctuated by laughter reach their ears. Across the way, street performers dance to the rapid beats coming out of a radio and sunlight sparkles through the vibrant green leafs of the nearby trees. Finding an empty bench, they sit down and watch people walk by.

Their hands still entwined, Justin rests them on his lap, comfortable and content with Alex's company. Alex fidgets a bit before relaxing with her shoulder leaning against his. Justin smiles at this, feeling a strong connection to the young woman next to him. The time passes quickly without them saying a word. "We should probably head off to class now." Justin says with reluctance. "We don't want to be late."

Standing up, Justin looks down into Alex's upturned face. Unable to resist, he raises a hand and traces his fingers down her cheek and along her jaw. "I'm glad you came today." Justin says quietly as he leans down to softly kiss her lips. It is quick and over before she knows it but the tingling on her lips and the warm glow in her chest linger all the way to class causing her much confusion.

"Not you again." The snarky voice of Patricia grates on their ears as she turns towards Justin. "What's she doing here?"

"I invited her." Professor Greyforth answers from behind them. "I was impressed by her knowledge when she visited the other day and thought she might enjoy our test run today."

"But she's not a student here!" Patricia whines, glaring at Alex.

"She will be." Justin answers leading Alex over by his work station. Patricia sees their linked hands and turns away with a huff. Justin rolls his eyes at her behavior.

"Did you date her or something?" Alex whispers as she sits next to him on a stool.

"God no!" Grimacing at the thought, Justin shakes his head. "Why would you even think that?"

"Maybe because her glare got ten times worse when she saw us holding hands?" Alex suggests with a chuckle. "Guys are so oblivious."

"Hey!" Justin pretends to be insulted and mutters back to her. "Maybe I prefer to remain in the dark about a certain psycho's personal feelings regarding me. I'd rather not have nightmares."

"Do you often attract weirdoes or is this kind of a new phenomenon?" Thinking back to Harper's obsession with Justin in her dream world, Alex shakes her head in wonder. "Should I be concerned?"

"No." Placing his hands on her stool, Justin scoots her closer to him. "But stay close just in case."

"For your protection or mine?" Alex arches a dark brow at him in question.

"Does it matter?" Justin grins and laces his fingers through hers again.

The rest of class is spent testing the first functions of the robot which Alex finds fascinating. It is a crazy time of dodging lethal looks from the ever present Patricia, discussions on the positive results of the robot tests and fighting with herself about melting every time Justin smiles at her. At the end, Justin and Alex are stopped by the professor and they wait as the other students file out of the room.

"I hope you enjoyed our class today." Professor Greyforth leans again one of the lab tables in front of them, clasping his hands together in front of him.

"Yes, thanks for inviting me back." Smiling, Alex sits back down on her stool. "This was amazing and so much fun."

"I'm glad because I wanted to invite you to join our class, if you're willing." He gives Alex a slight grin when she stares at him dumbfounded. "I know you aren't officially enrolling until next term but I think we can arrange for you to get credit and get permission from your school. I don't offer this lightly. It is a difficult course and you can only get in by invitation or special request. Inviting you is more than a bit unusual but I think you will be able to keep up and be a fine addition to our group."

"Are you serious?" Eyes wide, Alex stares at the man in disbelief. "I'd love to be a part of your class!"

"Good." The professor stands up with a smile and shakes her hand. "I'll make the arrangements with the university and your school. You'll need to get permission from your parents and officially sign up for the course. Expect a call from the admissions department sometime tomorrow and you can start class next week. We'll see you then." With a wave, he's out the door leaving Justin and Alex alone in the classroom.

"Did that just happen?" Alex wonders, still in shock.

"This is seriously awesome!" Wrapping his hands around her waist, Justin lifts Alex up and spins her around in a bear hug almost colliding with several stools nearby.

She laughs at his antics. "Justin, I'd really like to breathe again."

He sets her down with a blush but leaves his arms around her. "I guess you'll be needing rides to class from now on." Justin brushes his lips against hers in a soft, sweet kiss. "Oh yeah, I'm going to like this." He hefts their bags onto his shoulder and pulls her out of the classroom by the hand. "What do you want to do for lunch?"

They have lunch in the cafeteria again, laughing and enjoying each other's company. Spotting Zeke as they are finishing, they stop to say hello on their way out. By mutual agreement, Justin and Alex walk back to the same bench in the park to spend some time more time together outside of school. This time Alex doesn't hesitate to lean against Justin's shoulder as she plays with his fingers. They sit lost in their own thoughts for a while, Justin wondering what the best way is to ask Alex to be his girlfriend and Alex battling her confusion over liking this Justin who really isn't her brother.

"I should probably get you back to school. I have another class soon." Sighing, Justin helps her up and they walk back to the parking lot where they left his bike. A quickly muttered counter-spell negates the protection he placed on the bike earlier and they climb on after placing the helmets on their heads. "Hold on tight." Justin reminds Alex as he starts the bike. They drive back to Alex's high school and park outside the main entrance where several students are lingering, gawking at them. Justin and Alex just ignore them.

"Max and I will pick up you and Harper at seven tomorrow night, okay?" Justin grabs Alex's hand as she hands her helmet back to him and pulls her close.

"Okay. Harper's staying at my place this weekend so that works out great." Alex nervously bites her lip, wanting to kiss him but weirded out by the fact that she wants to kiss him. Justin takes the decision out of her hands as he slips a hand behind her head, running his fingers through her thick, midnight hair, and carefully pulls her down to meet his lips. The second they touch, every thought flees from Alex's mind except how perfect it feels. She parts her lips on a gasp and he deepens the kiss a little, tugging her closer. Justin pulls away, giving her one last peck on the lips before releasing her completely. They stare into each other's eyes, both stunned by the impact of that kiss.

"I'll see you tomorrow." Unable to resist, Justin kisses her one last quick kiss and walks her to the doors.

"See you then." Alex whispers back, her fingers against her lips. As Justin walks away, Alex realizes that she needs help, some advice, and she knows just who to ask. "Uncle Ernesto, I sure hope you can help me because this is gonna drive me crazy."

_**What does everyone think so far? Like it/Love it/Hate it? Please Review and let me know. Thanks for reading.**_


	7. Chapter 7: Ernesto is Out, Please Hold

_**Sorry for taking a while for this chapter. Life is really busy right now and I wanted to end my other two stories so I'm only down to this. I appreciate your patience. If anyone is interested in following me on twitter, my handle is: georgiem_1**_

_**Big thanks to my reviewers for Chapter 6: GravityBlackBowler, Unknown (you didn't leave a name for me to credit your review), SusieAnna97, EvilEmmaEvans (one more 'Oh My God' and I think you get a free Hail Mary! Lol jk), Jalex4evr, and WishFlower. You people are great and I can't thank you enough for your dedication to reviewing my chapters. I would bake you a dozen cookies each if I could!**_

_**Thanks to all of my silent reviewers, as well. You're quiet but I know you're out there because of the hit count on this story.**_

_***I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place, its characters, or NYU. Just the story and song are mine.***_

_**~Also, I have never been to NYU so just ignore the inaccuracies in its description~**_

_Previously:_

_"I'll see you tomorrow." Unable to resist, Justin kisses her one last quick kiss and walks her to the doors._

_"See you then." Alex whispers back, her fingers against her lips. As Justin walks away, Alex realizes that she needs help, some advice, and she knows just who to ask. "Uncle Ernesto, I sure hope you can help me because this is gonna driving me crazy."_

**Chapter 7: Uncle Ernesto is Out of Town, Please Hold**

"What do you mean Uncle Ernesto is gone? How can he be gone? Where is he?" Alex cries out in desperation, ignoring her mother's shocked stare.

"He had to go to a Healers' High Council meeting in the Wizarding World and will be gone until Saturday. They're closed conferences so there's no communication in or out except in emergencies." Theresa explains calmly to her agitated daughter. "What's wrong, honey? Maybe I can help."

Alex paces back and forth, debating the benefit of telling her mom. Finally, she gives in and decides that at least she can get some of this off her chest. "Alright, I'll talk to you." They both get comfortable on the couch in their living room, Theresa looking at Alex expectantly.

"I'm not sure where to begin exactly so I'll just start with a quick overview of the dreams I had while I was in a coma. In my dream I had a family. There was you, of course, my mom but you didn't have magic. You were mortal. Dad was in it and he was happy and alive. He had given up his powers to marry you. I loved having him around, I got to be Daddy's little girl." For the first time since waking up, Alex shows the deep sorrow of losing her father as tears gather in her eyes. Before her mom can comfort her, Alex takes a bracing deep breath and continues, keeping the tears at bay. "I also had two brothers. My older brother, Justin, was intelligent, responsible and annoying. He always seemed to be right and helping fix things when I messed up, which was often. My younger brother, Max, was quirky, fun and lovable. He was always up for helping me pull pranks. Harper was still my best friend but her outfits were more outrageous. She was constantly making clothes out of food or weird objects. She once made a dress out of markers. Harper was still Harper though with her upbeat personality, uniqueness and loyalty."

"It was all so vivid and real to me. I have a lifetime of memories from that dream world which are crowding in with my real ones and it's getting me confused." Having come this far, Alex can't stop and comes clean with everything. "Especially since I met my dream brothers for real recently."

"Wait. You met them? As in, have talked to them?" Theresa's mouth drops open in surprise.

"Yes. They have the same first name and pretty much look the same though there are some slight differences. They're cousins. Max is a year or so older than me. I haven't talked to him much so I'm not sure about his personality. Justin is more relaxed and comfortable than dream Justin."

"Justin?" The connections click into place for Theresa and she gasps. "You don't mean your Justin do you? That guy you met at NYU?"

"The one and the same." Alex answers, resignedly. She slouches unhappily into the soft cushions of the couch. "That's my problem. I really like this Justin, as in dating like. The more time I spend with him, the more I like him and want to be with him. I can't get rid of the image of him as my brother though. As happy as I am around him, in the back of my mind I feel weird and guilty. Intellectually, I realize he is not and never was my brother so there really shouldn't be a problem."

"Yeah, that is a difficult one." Theresa raises a finger to her chin and taps it while thinking. "You know, I think I have a book on dreams in the lair. Let's go take a look at that and see if it can help us at all. Dreams, especially wizard dreams, usually have a meaning or purpose."

They search the lair for over an hour before finally finding the Wizard Book of Dreams, An Overview. Dropping it on the table with a load thud, Theresa and Alex sit next to each other on the sofa and pull it closer. Theresa opens to the back and scans down through the index.

"I think this is what we want. _'Comatose Reality, page 48'_." Flipping to that page, the older Russo runs a finger over the text while reading aloud.

_'In some cases of deep coma, a wizard can enter a state of Comatose Reality wherein they experience a life outside of the current one they are in. This other reality may be a prophetic dream, an alternate universe or a previous life experience. These are given to the wizard for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to: learning a lesson, finding a truth, experiencing a lost moment, and correcting a mistake or regret. Each one is unique to the individual._'

"That was entirely unhelpful." Alex slouches back into the cushions in frustration. "How am I supposed to know which kind of dream it was? Does it give anything on that?"

"Yes." Grinning, Alex's mom continues to read from further down the page.

_'There is only one known method for determining the type of Comatose Reality a wizard has experienced if it is undetermined by the dreamer. The following incantation should be said precisely by a full wizard with their wand tip touching the forehead of the dreamer. See the chart below for translating the results._

_ ostendo sum somnium animadverto voluntas_

_ Blue – prophetic dream – see page 92_

_ Red – alternate reality – see page 106_

_ Gold – previous life – see page 125_

_ Green – normal dream - close this book_

_As with all spells, please use with caution.'_

"That's great!" Alex turns to her mother expectantly. "You can do the spell and we can figure out what the heck is going on."

"Are you sure about this?" Raising her wand, Theresa watches Alex carefully.

"Definitely! Let's just get on with it already." Alex rolls her eyes and waves her hand at her mom in encouragement.

Nodding, Theresa sets the tip of her wand against the center of Alex's forehead. "Ostendo sum somnium animadverto voluntas"

A second later, a glowing light begins from the where the wand touches Alex and slowly spreads across her whole body until she is encased in a golden aura. Theresa removes her wand and the glow disappears instantly leaving Alex sitting there looking confused and irritated. "Did it work? Cause I didn't see anything."

"You didn't see that?" Theresa asks in surprise. "Your whole body turned yellow and you didn't see a thing. Weird."

"Yellow?" Raising an eyebrow, Alex pulls the book onto her lap. "It says golden means that it is a previous life experience. What does that mean? I've never had any of that happen in this reality."

"Turn to the page it indicates and maybe it will explain." Theresa urges, putting away her wand.

Flipping to almost the back of the slim book, Alex finds the page and reads while her mother fidgets beside her impatiently. "So what does it say?" She asks Alex unable to wait any longer.

"Apparently it means a past life. It took one of my past lives and translated it into today so that I would understand it better." Alex continues to read for a while before continuing. "There's some mumbo jumbo about soul recognition and continuation. To be honest, there isn't really much to go on and it doesn't explain it any further. It just says that you need to consult the full edition for further information or a qualified professional."

"So the gist of it is that what happened in your coma-induced dream really happened, just not in this life time." Theresa stands up and paces across the room when Alex confirms her assessment. "Unfortunately, the only full copy that I know of is in the Wizarding World in the High Council Library. The library is closed for the next week due to spell damage and the consulate session. I know my brother did a series on dreams in school but he won't be home for a couple days."

"I guess I'm just going to have to wait till then." Grumbling, Alex curls up in a corner of the sofa with her feet tucked under her. "Tomorrow night should be interesting. Harper and I are going out with my two non-brothers, Justin and Max."

"Oh my, good luck with that honey." Theresa sits down and wraps an arm around her daughter. "Just try to put the dreams out of your mind for a while. Your uncle will be home soon and we will figure something out. Okay?"

"Okay." Alex leans her head on her mom's shoulder with a sigh.

The next day at school, Alex goes through the motions but is too distracted. She answers questions that are put to her automatically and correctly which satisfies her teachers even if she has a blank stare on her face. Several whispered conversations stop suddenly when she appears and Alex doesn't notice as they stare at her. She also doesn't notice the glares thrown at her from Gigi and her followers.

"Alex, do you realize you are the talk of the school today?" Harper opens her locker next to Alex and throws her books inside after the last bell rings.

"Really?" Coming out of her daze, Alex stares at her best friend. "What do you mean?"

"Everybody is talking about you and some guy on a motorcycle from yesterday. I assume they are talking about Justin even though their description is more than a little off." Laughing, Harper leans against her locker. "The dark hair and good looks are right but I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any tattoos or belong to a gang. I also really doubt that he carries a switchblade or a gun around with him."

"Oh my God!" Alex raises a hand and covers her mouth as she laughs. "You can't be serious. That is what they are saying about him? What a bunch of delusional morons. I mean I can't honestly say about the tattoos but the rest is ridiculous. He's a college scholar for crying out loud."

"You think he has a tattoo?" Harper straightens up in interest.

"I don't know if he does." Slamming her locker shut, Alex walks out of the school with Harper and grins wickedly. "It'd be kinda hot if he did."

_**For those that are interested, the incantation is in Latin and translates loosely to: Show the will of the dream. At least, that is what the translator gave me.**_

_**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be all about their date so get ready for some fun and affection. Please review and let me know what you thought about this chapter and if you have any suggestions for their date(s).**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_


	8. Chapter 8: Brother, Get Out of My Head

_**Sorry it is taking me so long to update. Big thanks to my reviewers for Chapter 7: GravityBlackBowler (thanks for vowing to stick with the story till the end!), EvilEmmaEvans (I really didn't mind the Oh My Gods), SusieAnna97 (randomness is fun), Jalex4evr (glad you are still loving it), Wishflower (more about the dream in the chapter after next), and Unknown (your welcome for the name). Each of you is amazing and I can't express how touched I am that you read and review so dedicatedly. *hugs***_

_***I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place, its characters, or NYU. Just the story, the extra characters and song are mine.***_

_**~Also, I have never been to NYU so just ignore the inaccuracies in its description~**_

_**~Parmesana is a fictional restaurant so don't bother trying to find it~**_

_Previously:_

_"Everybody is talking about you and some guy on a motorcycle from yesterday. I assume they are talking about Justin even though their description is more than a little off." Laughing, Harper leans against her locker. "The dark hair and good looks are right but I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any tattoos or belong to a gang. I also really doubt that he carries a switchblade or a gun around with him."_

_"Oh my God!" Alex raises a hand and covers her mouth as she laughs. "You can't be serious. That is what they are saying about him? What a bunch of delusional morons. I mean I can't honestly say about the tattoos but the rest is ridiculous. He's a college scholar for crying out loud."_

_"You think he has a tattoo?" Harper straightens up in interest._

_"I don't know if he does." Slamming her locker shut, Alex walks out of the school with Harper and grins wickedly. "It'd be kinda hot if he did."_

**Chapter 8: Brother, Get Out of My Head**

A knock sounded at the door downstairs while the girls finish getting ready upstairs. Theresa stands up from the couch and walks down the stairs to greet the boys that are waiting. Not sure what to expect, she opens the door wide with a welcoming smile. "Hello. You must be the girls' dates. I'm Alex's mom, Theresa Russo."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Russo." Smiling nervously, Justin shakes her offered hand. "I'm Justin and this is my cousin, Max." Max shakes her hand before they follow Theresa up the stairs into the living room.

"Alex!" Theresa walks to bottom of the stair leading up to the bedrooms. "Harper! Justin and Max are here!"

"Okay, be down in a minute!" A hurried rustling comes from the top of the stairs as the girls descend. Alex comes into view first and Justin's mouth opens and shuts several times, unable to make a coherent sound. The sides of Alex's thick raven hair are pulled back with purple combs, accenting her chocolate brown eyes. Soft red gloss coats her lips and a bare minimum of makeup let her natural beauty show through. Alex is wearing a satin purple top that has a sweat heart neckline with lace sleeves and black edging. She pairs this with black fitted jeans that have purple swirls weaving down the sides and silver jewelry.

Seeing Justin's reaction, Alex is amused until she gets a good look at him and has the same look on her face. His dark green button down shirt is rolled at the sleeves, unbuttoned at the collar and tucked into dark blue jeans with a silver watch on his wrist. For a moment she gets lost in his stormy eyes before getting a slight shove from behind which knocks her out of her stare.

"What's the hold up?" Harper asks tired of waiting for Alex to move.

"Nothing." Alex blushes lightly at her friend's comment and quickly walks down the rest of the stairs. "Hi Justin." She gives him a small smile.

"Hey Alex." Walking up to her, Justin pulls a small bouquet of daisies out from behind his back and holds it out to her. "You look amazing."

"Thank you." Taking the flowers, Alex buries her nose into the white petals and breathes deeply. "How did you know that daisies are my favorite?"

"Lucky guess." Justin chuckles at the simple pleasure Alex derives from the flowers.

"Wow." Behind them, Max is staring at Harper with unabashed admiration. Harper's auburn locks are piled in stylish messy curls on top of her head and held in place with black combs. Her black v-neck dress hugs her curves and ends half way down her thighs. A deep red jacket, black converse and ruby earrings complete the look. Max speechlessly holds out a single white rose for her.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Harper replies with a giggle, taking the rose as she checks out her date. Max is dressed in black jeans and a black undershirt just tight enough to show off a bit of muscle with an open white button down over top. His wavy brown hair looks like he's run his hand through it a few times giving it an adorable mussed look.

"Girls, why don't we put those flowers in some water?" Alex's mom gestures for Alex and Harper to follower her over to the kitchen. Taking out two vases, she fills them and sets them before the girls. Leaning in close to Alex, Theresa whispers so Harper can't hear. "I understand why you are having some trouble, honey. He's a handsome one and clearly likes you which shows that he has good taste. Try to relax and just have fun tonight."

"Thanks Mom." Alex hugs her mom quickly before walking back to the guys.

"Ready to go?" Taking Alex's coat from her, Justin helps her put it on as she nods her head.

"Have a good time." Waving, Theresa watches them walk down the stairs and bites her lip to keep from yelling out cautions and embarrassing Alex.

Outside, the two couples pile into Justin's vehicle with Alex in the passenger seat next to him and Max and Harper sharing the back seat. After everyone is buckled in, Justin pulls away from the curb and drives down the road keeping a close eye on the traffic.

"Where are we going?" Alex turns to study Justin's profile while he drives.

"I thought we could grab a bite to eat at Parmesana and then catch the light display they are doing in the park later." Justin pulls into his parking spot at the university. "I hope you guys don't mind walking a little. It'll be easier and quicker to go from here than to try and find a parking spot at the restaurant."

"Works for me." Alex unbuckles as Justin hops out and hurries around to open her door. "Aren't you a gentleman? Thanks."

"You're welcome." Justin winks at her and shuts the door before leading the way down to the sidewalk.

As they are walking, Alex feels a large hand wrapping around hers. She looks up to find Justin smiling down at her softly sending a warm sensation through Alex. His thumb rubs gently across her skin and the world melts away leaving just the two of them. Alex returns his smile and wraps her other hand over their clasped hands, moving closer to Justin.

Behind them, Max and Harper are talking quietly, nervously eyeing each other. Nerves never bother Max for long and, in a decisive move, he reaches over and laces their fingers together. Harper stops walking and talking in surprise, pulling Max to a halt. She stares down at their hands then looks up into his eyes. Max grins at Harper crookedly and pulls her up next to him, kissing her on the cheek. Blushing madly and grinning happily, Harper walks along holding Max's hand as they catch back up to Justin and Alex.

"Hey Justin, did you bring a pretty girl for me too?" A large man with a full head of dark hair, twinkling brown eyes and a wide smile greets them as they walk into the restaurant. He has on black pants, a button down shirt and a white apron hanging from his waist.

"Don't even suggest it. Aunt Mags would kill me." Justin gives the man a hug. "Hi Uncle Tony."

"You are right, but I like a feisty woman." Tony laughs boisterously and turns to the others and gives Max a hug. "Hey Maxie. Now, introduce me to these lovely ladies you brought with you."

"This is Alex Russo." Justin takes Alex's hand and pulls her forward. "Alex this is Uncle Tony."

"You are a true beauty, as delicate as any flower." Tony holds out his hand for Alex. "A pleasure to meet you." Taking her hand, he leans over and kisses the back of it with a flourish.

"The pleasure is all mine." Alex laughs and plays along with a short curtsy, liking the man instantly.

Max introduces Harper and Tony fawns over her hand too, winking at Max. "You be careful with this one, Maxie. Redheads are a precious gift."

"I think you are a little biased, Uncle Tony." Justin rolls his eyes and explains to the girls. "Aunt Mags is a redhead."

"That she is but it doesn't make what I said any less true." Tony insists before leading them towards the back of the restaurant. "I have the corner table ready for you. You won't need any menus as I whipped up something special just for you." Without waiting for a reply, he walks across the room and through the swinging doors into the kitchen.

They sit down at the round table which is covered in a snowy white linen table cloth. Slightly melted red candles in silver holders sit in the middle, casting a soft glow around the table. Tucked away in the corner, it feels more secluded and the noise from the other people is muted by the fabrics hanging from the walls. Music is quietly playing through the speakers overhead.

"This place is amazing." Harper looks around with wide eyes, taking everything in.

"Yeah. I can't wait to try the food." Alex licks her lips in anticipation.

"Here we go." Tony walks out of the kitchen with a large tray balancing on his shoulder and hand. "For your tasting pleasure, we have bruschetta topped with ripe tomatoes and basil, olive all'ascolana, and calamari." He sets down the three large plates and sets a small plate in front of each of them before walking away.

"This looks delicious." Alex fills her plate with a bit from each dish. After trying each, she moans in ecstasy. "Justin, do you think Uncle Tony would adopt me? I would so join this family just for the food."

"I'd really rather he didn't." Justin laughs, enjoying her passion for the food. "It would make dating you a little weird if we were related." Not realizing the impact of what he said, Justin turns away to talk to Max.

Surprised by Justin's comment, Alex almost chokes on her food and takes a large sip of water to get it down. Eyes wide, she stares at Justin and is reminded of her dream life. For a little while, she had managed to forget about that other world and just enjoyed being with him. Now, those memories are rushing back, almost suffocating her. Alex shakes her head, trying to clear her thoughts, determined not to let this ruin her evening. This Justin is not her brother. They didn't grow up together, they never lived together, and they don't share any DNA. With a final shake of her head, Alex pushes those thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Alex, I've been meaning to ask you something." Justin's quiet whisper breaks into her thoughts, distracting her. "How much does Harper know?"

"About what?" Alex leans closer, wondering why they are whispering and what they are supposed to be whispering about.

"Magic." Justin gives her a significant look.

"Oh that." Laughing lightly, Alex leans back in her chair and returns to her normal voice. "She knows about all that. We got special permission from the High Council last year. You wouldn't believe the number of forms we had to go through to get her immigration status. She's been studying to get a dual class citizenship in the Wizard World."

"Alex!" Harper gasps in shock.

"Relax Harper. They're wizards." Just then, Tony comes over with their main course which is a big, heaping bowl of spaghetti covered in a tangy sauce and meatballs the size of Alex's fist. He clears away the old dishes and sets out clean plates, leaving a parmesan cheese grater sitting next to Justin's plate. With a sly wink, Tony hurries away not wishing to interrupt their conversation.

"I didn't even know mortals could become citizens." Justin raises an eyebrow at Alex, urging her to explain.

"I didn't either until my uncle told me about it." As Alex explains, Justin serves the pasta to everyone, making sure to grate some cheese over top of each. "It hasn't been easy for me since the only family I have here are my mom and uncle. Knowing how close I am to Harper and how much it hurt me to lie to her all the time, Uncle Ernesto suggested we apply for her immigration status and sponsor her citizenship. Now I can tell her everything and anything and, so long as she follows the non-disclosure laws, we can't get in trouble for it."

"That is awesome!" Max exclaims from across the table finally over his shock.

Leaning forward, Justin picks up his fork and looks at each of them. "Since everyone knows the big secret, I think I can do a little better than the light display at the park."

"What do you have in mind?" Alex smiles, her 'brother' problem forgotten once again.

_**So, I am not going to get all of the date into one chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed this latest installment. Please Review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading.**_

_**Btw~ If you are wondering, olive all'ascolana is basically fried olives.**_


	9. Chapter 9: Up Close and Dazzling

_**No, I have not forgotten about this story or my wonderful readers and I hope you haven't forgotten about me. I'm sorry it has taken so long to get this chapter out, life has been getting in the way of my writing. I made it with lots of good bits and pieces. Enjoy!**_

_**Big thanks to my reviewers for Chapter 8: Seddielovergrl, GravityBlackBowler, Unknown, SusieAnna97, EvilEmmaEvans and LadyRose12. You guys are awesome!**_

_***I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place, its characters, or NYU. Just the story, the extra characters and song are mine.***_

_**~Also, I have never been to NYU so just ignore the inaccuracies in its description~**_

_**~Parmesana is a fictional restaurant so don't bother trying to find it~**_

_Previously:_

_Leaning forward, Justin picks up his fork and looks at each of them. "Since everyone knows the big secret, I think I can do a little better than the light display at the park."_

_"What do you have in mind?" Alex smiles, her 'brother' problem forgotten once again._

**Chapter 9: Up Close and Dazzling**

Justin gives Alex a sly smile but doesn't say another word until everyone finishes eating. Standing, he motions them to follow him into the kitchen where they find Uncle Tony talking to one of the waiters with a plump and curvy redhead standing next to him. Seeing them, Tony sends the server out into the main room.

"So, you finally decided to come say hello?" The older woman crosses her arms and glares affectionately at Justin and Max, who immediately walk up to give her a hug and kiss on the cheek making her smile.

"Hi Aunt Mags." The boys say in unison. They introduce her to Alex and Harper and both girls get a big hug from her as well.

"Uncle Tony, I was wondering if we could use your portal?" Justin asks after making sure no one else is in the room.

"Do you mean the restrooms?" Tony looks at Justin sternly and nods almost imperceptibly towards the girls. "You know they're up by the main door."

"It's okay Uncle Tony." Patting the older man on the shoulder, Justin grins. "They already know all about magic. You don't need to hide anything."

"Ah, well then." Relieved, Tony leads them into the back where the large storage fridge is located. "You can let yourselves in as I have to get back to work." He gives each of them a bear hug before walking away. He winks over his shoulder. "I knew these girls were special."

Justin waves his wand and a quick flash of light outlines the door. Opening it, he swings it wide and lets the others walk in first. Alex swallows a thick lump in her throat as the dream memories assault her once more. She quickly steps through and into the large room that had magically appeared.

Thankfully, this lair is quite a bit different from the other. This one is painstakingly organized and brightly colored, whereas the other was comfortably cluttered and somewhat faded with a lot of antiques lying around. There are no memories of her brothers or the father she desperately misses here. Alex brushes away the emotions again and concentrates on the people around her.

Justin walks up to a large crystal door in the back of the room and opens it. The other side is obscured by a thick, swirling white cloud. He turns to face the others. "Ready?"

"Ready for what?" Max steps closer to Harper and laces his hand with hers. "Where exactly are we going?"

"It's a surprise." Smirking, Justin grabs Alex's hand and pulls her through the door. Max shrugs his shoulders and follows with Harper, not sure what his cousin is planning.

Mumbling something under his breath, Justin waves his wand and a large red carpet zooms down out of the sky and stops at their feet. Everyone steps up onto it and sits down. Alex looks at Justin, expecting him to hand out the safety helmets and steer, but he just sits next to her and smiles.

"Justin, shouldn't you be driving this thing?" Alex raises an eyebrow at him.

"Nope." Grinning, Justin wraps an arm around her shoulders as the carpet rises up. "This is a taxi carpet which drives itself and has a spell in place to keep anyone from falling off. All you have to do is tell it where to go, which I already did."

"Clever. So where are we going?" Leaning into his arm, Alex relaxes and enjoys the slight breeze from the carpet lazily making its way through the air.

"Here." Justin points up into the sky as the carpet stops in midair. Above is the blackness of the night sky and the twinkling of a billion stars. While the others are staring up, Justin stealthily waves his wand again and an array of decadent deserts appears in the middle of the carpet including chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate truffles, everything is bite-sized finger food.

"This is amazing." Harper's eyes widen in awe then close in appreciation when Max pops one of the truffles into her mouth.

"There is more yet to come." Smiling mischievously, Justin offers a small plate of goodies to Alex as he glances back up at the stars. "In fact, it's starting right now."

Above them a swift shaft of light streaks across the sky, followed by another and another until the whole sky seems ablaze. There's enough to cover every single wish each of them has ever had and then some. The lights dance before them in a dizzying display, dazzling their senses.

"I promised you a light show." Justin whispers into Alex's ear, his lips grazing her skin and sending shivers through her body. "What do you think?"

"Perfect." Distracted by the display above and the feel of him next to her, Alex manages to get out the single word in response.

"That's what I was going for." Pulling her in for a tight hug, Justin lays on his back with Alex tucked into his side as they watch the sky. On the other side of the blanket, Max is sitting leaning back on his arms as Harper rests with her back against his chest. Both couples are absorbed watching the meteor shower and nibbling on the goodies placed between them.

As the last of the lights fade away, Justin leans down and whispers something towards the carpet which causes it to move forward again. They fly higher up into the sky until they come to a particularly bright set of stars and the carpet stops. Standing up, Justin motions for Max to follow him to the edge of the carpet where he tells him something the girls can't hear. Grinning, Max nods his head and they pull out their wands. With a grand flourish, the boys mumble an incantation.

At first, nothing seems to have happened then suddenly two of the stars start to twinkle a little brighter and look to be coming closer. Justin and Max both hold out a hand and a star lands in each of them. Another wave of their wands and a thin silver chain appears and attaches to the star. Walking back to Alex and Harper, they hold out the newly made necklaces with the crystal stars dangling from them. Alex looks up into the sky and finds the original stars have returned to their places.

"It's just a small piece of their beauty, something to remember tonight by." Opening the clasp, Justin places the necklace around Alex's neck when she stands up.

Alex's heart leaps at the sight of the gleaming white star and she leans over without hesitation to kiss him, mere words not enough to thank him. Justin's hands snake around her waist and rest on her lower back, pulling her closer to him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Alex threads her fingers through the thick soft hair at the nape of his neck. When Justin tilts his head and runs the tip of his tongue across her lower lip, Alex gasps at the tingling sensation that runs all the way to her toes. Justin takes advantage of her open lips to deepen the kiss causing them both to lose all thoughts in their heads. In this moment, at this time, nothing else matters and nothing else exists but the two of them.

Eventually, they part as Harper's nervous giggle and Max's clearing of his throat finally register in their clouded brains. Alex looks over through heavy lidded eyes at her blushing best friend and realizes what just happened. Shocked at her own behavior, Alex hides her reddened cheeks in Justin's chest. Laughing at her display of shyness, Justin kisses her on the forehead affectionately. Alex smacks him on the arm and playfully glares at him making him laugh harder and the others to join in. "Oh shut up!" Alex steps back and crosses her arms, irritated at her show of girliness.

They sit down after Justin magically clears away the remains of the food and the carpet flies them back to Tony's portal. By the time they get into the restaurant, Alex's peevishness is gone and her good humor returns, which may have had something to do with Justin's warm glances and his arm wrapped around her waist.

On the sidewalk outside, Alex is distractedly talking with Harper behind her when she is jerked to a stop by Justin's hand. Turning towards him, she sees that he's accidentally bumped into someone and is apologizing. Looking closer, Alex finds the girl's long blonde curls rather familiar and is disturbed by the way the blonde is smelling Justin as if he is a glass of fine wine.

"Juliet?" Alex gasps out the name and the girl swiftly looks over, a light glinting off her gleaming fangs.

Seeing the agelessly perfect face, Alex pushes her way between Juliet and Justin. "Back off Vampire Barbie." Alex glares at the girl.

"He just smells so delicious." Juliet shakes her head to clear it and stares at Alex. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

"Alex, do you know her?" Justin lays a hand on Alex's shoulder and watches Juliet carefully as what Alex said registers fully. "Did you say 'vampire'?" He pulls Alex behind him protectively.

"It's not me she's interested in." Rolling her eyes, Alex steps around Justin. "You're the one she says smells tasty." Facing Juliet, Alex glances around quickly at the mostly empty sidewalk before pulling out her wand. "One fang closer and I'll blast you back to Transylvania. Now, why don't you go find a nice, furry werewolf to cuddle up to?"

"I'm very confused." Juliet looks at Alex curiously. "How do you know me, wizard? Are you talking about Mason? I'm actually on my way to meet him now."

"That's good." Alex says sincerely, still holding her wand aloft. "Don't let us keep you." Pulling Justin past Juliet, she waves at the girl over her shoulder and puts her wand away. "Have fun."

"What was that all about?" Justin looks at Alex curiously once Juliet is out of sight.

"I'll tell you about it one day." Alex continues walking, lost in the memories from her dream life. They drove to her house in silence, the only noise coming from Max and Harper talking in the back seat. Pulling up outside her home, Max walks Harper to the door as Justin and Alex say goodbye near the car.

"Tonight was a lot of fun." Justin scuffs the toe of his shoe on the ground.

"Yeah." Alex stares down at her hands clasped in front of her.

"Can I call you tomorrow? Maybe we can go out again tomorrow night?" Taking a step closer, Justin wraps a hand over hers, trying to get her to look up.

"Um sure." Alex refuses to look at him.

"Well, goodnight." Justin leans down to kiss her gently but Alex turns her face at the last moment so he gets her cheek instead. Sighing in disappoint, Justin walks her to her door as Max climbs into the car.

Alex opens the door to go inside after Justin walks away. Hearing him sigh sadly again snaps her out of her funk and she turns to look at him. "Justin." He turns hopefully at the sound of her voice. Running up to him, Alex wraps her arms around his waist and hugs him tightly. "Goodnight." She mumbles into his chest then kisses him softly on the lips before running inside and closing her front door.

"Yes!" Justin pumps his fist into the air and happily anticipates the next day.

_**I hope everyone enjoyed the rest of the date. Next chapter is going to be dealing with her dream stuff. Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!**_


	10. Chapter 10: Revelations I

_**Huge thanks and virtual cookies to my reviewers for Chapter 9: rexy743, GravityBlackBowler, SusieAnna97, EvilEmmaEvans, Jalex4evr, Unknown, Seddielovergrl and gabgaws12. You all are awesome! Thanks go out to my silent readers as well. You're quiet but I know you're out there.**_

_***I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place, its characters, or NYU. Just the story, the extra characters and song are mine.***_

_**~Also, I have never been to NYU so just ignore the inaccuracies in its description~**_

_**~Parmesana is a fictional restaurant so don't bother trying to find it~**_

_Previously:_

_"Well, goodnight." Justin leans down to kiss her gently but Alex turns her face at the last moment so he gets her cheek instead. Sighing in disappoint, Justin walks her to her door as Max climbs into the car._

_Alex opens the door to go inside after Justin walks away. Hearing him sigh sadly again snaps her out of her funk and she turns to look at him. "Justin." He turns hopefully at the sound of her voice. Running up to him, Alex wraps her arms around his waist and hugs him tightly. "Goodnight." She mumbles into his chest then kisses him softly on the lips before running inside and closing her front door._

_"Yes!" Justin pumps his fist into the air and happily anticipates the next day._

**Chapter 10: Revelations I**

The next morning Alex walks downstairs to find her mom and uncle talking in hushed voices sitting on the barstools by the kitchen counter. When she approaches they stop and turn towards her with big, fake smiles on their faces.

"Good morning, Honey." Theresa stands up to fill a plate with scrambled eggs, bacon and toast before handing it to Alex. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Morning." Eying the two suspiciously, Alex sits down in her mother's vacated seat and digs into the food on her plate. "I slept okay. When did you get back Uncle Ernesto?"

"Just before dawn." Ernesto wraps an arm around Alex's shoulders and gives her a quick squeeze. "I missed my two favorite girls though."

"Uh huh." Alex chews her bacon thoughtfully, taking in her uncle's concerned gaze. "Mom already told you, didn't she?"

Theresa and Ernesto glance at each other and back at Alex, nodding their heads. Ernesto drops his arm from her shoulders and leans against the counter, rubbing his temple. "When you're finished eating, we'll head into the lair. There are a few things we need to clear up before know what our options are."

"I'm done." Alex tries to push her half eaten food away but is stopped by her mother.

"No, you're not." Theresa pushes the plate back and gives Alex a stern look. "Ten minutes is not going to make any difference so finish eating."

"Fine." Rolling her eyes, Alex shovels down the last of her food and hops up. "I'm done."

Laughing, Ernesto leads the way into the lair and sits down in a chair near the sofa where Theresa and Alex sit. Saying a summoning spell, a very large and very old tome appears in front of him on the table. The tan cover is so faded and battered that the black lettering is almost nonexistent anymore.

"Theresa says that you experienced a comatose reality and she was able to do the spell to determine that it was a previous life experience." Alex nods her head at Ernesto's summation. "The first thing I need for you to understand is that the people that are important to you in this life have always been with you. It's called soul recognition. Love, in its purest form, binds souls together and we are naturally drawn to each other."

"Like soul mates?" Alex raises an eyebrow, not expecting such a romantic notion.

"Not exactly." Shaking his head, Ernesto leans back in his chair and steeples his fingers thoughtfully. "Think of it as your ultimate family. I'm not talking bloodlines or parents and siblings. This goes beyond that. These people have been central to your life from the beginning. In each lifetime eventually you will find each other. Sometimes they are members of your own family, sometimes they are your lovers, and sometimes they are your best friends. The roles can change but the souls are the same."

"So, in some previous life, I could have been my mom's mother or sister or best friend?" Alex asks, trying to grasp the concept.

"Exactly." Nodding his head in approval, Ernesto smiles at Alex. "It's the continuation that's important. Until that connection is made or if it is severed too early, you may feel as if your life is missing something though you may not realize what it is." He pulls the book in front of him closer and opens it. "This is my college edition of the Wizard's Book of Dreams. After Theresa told me when I first got here, I reread the sections pertaining to the previous life experiences. There are some spells that will help determine what the purpose of yours was…"

"I don't think we'll need them." Alex interrupts, shaking her head.

"What do you mean?" Leaning closer to her daughter, Theresa lays a hand on her arm.

"I mean that it's pretty obvious why I had my dream." Both adults look at her blankly. "My father. I never really got to know him in this life. He died when I was really young. In my dream life, he was there guiding, protecting and loving me. It gave me the chance to get to know him."

"Oh baby." Theresa pulls Alex in for a long hug as a few tears glide silently down her cheeks.

"Its okay, Mom." Smiling, Alex returns the hug. "Daddy was goofy, fun, annoying and absolutely amazing. It was a wonderful experience, except that it confuses the issue of Justin."

"We do have a few options." Turning several pages in his book, Ernesto looks up at Alex in concern. "The first is that we do nothing. Over time the dream will fade just like all dreams do. Eventually, you will remember only the gist of it and none of the details. This could take a while though as these kind of dreams are extremely vivid. Another option is to erase the entire dream from your memory, but this gets rid of your time with Jerry too."

"Is there a third option?" Frowning, Alex scrunches up her nose in distaste. "Those first two options kind of suck."

"There is a third but I'm not sure how much you're going to like it." Ernesto hesitates and runs a hand through his hair. "It's the Love Ever After spell."

"But she's still so young." Theresa gasps placing a hand over her mouth in dismay.

"I know but it doesn't change anything. What is meant to be will be." Ernesto takes his sisters hand and squeezes it. "It may be the only way."

"Hold up. What is the Love Ever After spell? I've never heard of it." Alex looks from her mother to her uncle, both curious and a bit freaked out.

"It tells you if the one you're with is your true love, the one you're meant to be with." Letting go of Theresa's hand, Ernesto stands up and paces across the room. "If Justin is the one for you, it will bind the two of you together and any other feelings that cause confusion are dissolved, leaving only your love for one another. If he isn't, any love you may have had for each other will be gone."

"So, it's an all or nothing kind of deal." Alex stands up and walks over to her uncle. "What do we need to do the spell?"

"Alex, no!" Running up to her daughter, Theresa grabs her shoulder and spins her around. "You're too young to get so serious with a boy. You need to date more, have a life first."

"That's not me, Mom." Alex gives her mom a reassuring hug. "I've never been one to date around and, if Justin is the one, it doesn't mean that I won't have a life. It just means that I may just be experiencing life with Justin by my side. To be honest, that sounds rather appealing." She tilts her head thoughtfully. "I need to do this. It's killing me wanting to be with Justin so much and feeling guilty for wanting that."

"Alex, to do this spell, you're going to have to tell Justin. He has to be a willing participant since it affects him too." Closing the book on the table, Ernesto looks into Alex's eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"Yes." Alex answers without hesitation. "I don't know if it will be what Justin wants to do though."

_**Oh no! I gave you a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm so mean. **_

_**What do you think so far? How do you think Justin is going to react? Review and let me know your thoughts. Thanks for reading!**_


	11. Chapter 11: Revelations II

_**Huge thanks to my awesome reviewers of Chapter 10: SusieAnna97 (I could say the same about your reviews), Unknown (I'm happy you're my fan too), rexy743 (magic does seem to be the duct tape of this universe… it can fix anything), EvilEmmaEvans (I like the numerous options you give, makes it hard to mess up lol) and Jalex4evr (you thought I was mean with the last chapter, wait till you read this one). *insert evil laugh here***_

_***I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place, its characters, or NYU. Just the story, the extra characters and song are mine.***_

_**~Also, I have never been to NYU so just ignore the inaccuracies in its description~**_

_**~Parmesana is a fictional restaurant so don't bother trying to find it~**_

_Previously:_

_"That's not me, Mom." Alex gives her mom a reassuring hug. "I've never been one to date around and, if Justin is the one, it doesn't mean that I won't have a life. It means that I may just be experiencing life with Justin by my side. To be honest, that sounds rather appealing." She tilts her head thoughtfully. "I need to do this. It's killing me wanting to be with Justin so much and feeling guilty for wanting that."_

_"Alex, to do this spell, you're going to have to tell Justin. He has to be a willing participant since it affects him too." Closing the book on the table, Ernesto looks into Alex's eyes. "Are you sure this is what you want to do?"_

_"Yes." Alex answers without hesitation. "I don't know if it will be what Justin wants to do though."_

**Chapter 11: Revelations II**

Tapping her fingers in a staccato fashion, Alex presses her ear against her cell phone. After several rings, Justin answers with a distracted "Hello".

"Hey, Justin. It's Alex."

"Oh, hey Alex." Justin's voice warms considerably when he hears her voice. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you would come over?" Hesitating for a moment, Alex takes a deep breath before continuing. "I have something I want to talk to you about."

"Sure. Is everything okay?" Justin's voice gets a little gruff with concern. "You do realize that it's usually not a good thing when the girl you're dating says 'we need to talk'."

"It's nothing like that… at least, I hope it isn't." Alex gives a short, nervous laugh.

"Well, that just instills me with all kinds of confidence." Justin answers sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood. "I'll be over in about half an hour."

"Thanks. See you then."

"Bye."

Thirty minutes of pacing later Alex jumps in surprise at the sound of the doorbell. Racing down the stairs, she stops just before the door and takes a calming breath before opening. Justin is standing on the other side with a questioning half smile and a single white daisy which he holds out to her. "I heard you should never show up to a girl's house empty-handed."

"I'm not complaining." Grinning up at him, Alex takes the daisy and smells it then kisses Justin on the cheek. "Thanks." She leads him up to the lair where Ernesto and Theresa are waiting. "This is my uncle, Ernesto. Ernesto, this is Justin." The guys shake hands in greeting.

"Um, Alex, what is going on?" Looking around the lair, Justin's eyes come to rest on her.

"Why don't we all sit down and I can explain." Alex gestures to the furniture around the coffee table. Theresa and Ernesto take the chairs while Alex and Justin share the couch. "A few months ago, I was in a bad accident and ended up in a coma for a long time."

"Alex…" Justin takes her hand.

"Don't interrupt. This is going to be hard enough to explain." Gripping his hand, Alex continues. "While I was in that coma I had a very vivid dream. In it I had a different life with both a father and a mother and two brothers. We had our problems, our differences, but there was a lot of love too. I would have sworn that it was all real and it gave me a different set of memories when I woke up. I had been gone so long that it was considered a miracle." Alex pauses, trying to build up her courage.

"I've always known you were special." Justin smiles at her as he considers what she just told him. "Wait a minute. Alex, are you saying that you experienced a comatose reality?"

"You've heard of them?" Alex raises her eyebrow in surprise then rolls her eyes. "Of course you do. You are Justin, after all." Justin looks at her quizzically but she ignores it. Taking another deep breath (and thinking to herself that she's going to start hyperventilating soon with all the deep breathing), Alex smiles at him. "Well, that makes this a little easier. Yes, I had lived a comatose reality. Specifically, it was a previous life experience. I saw what one of my past lives was like and it gave me the opportunity to get to know my dad, something I had been missing my whole life."

"So that was the reason for your dream? You got to see your dad?" Through his magical studies, Justin had come across the topic and had been fascinated so he had the basics of it down.

"That was the reason and it was amazing getting to be Daddy's little girl for a while. They are memories that I will always treasure. I also found myself very close to my brothers, which is what complicates matters now." Looking into his eyes, Alex can see both the brother she loves and the guy she may be in love with.

"I don't understand." Justin looks at the others and back at Alex. "Complicates what?"

"Have you heard of soul recognition?" Ernesto asks, feeling it is time for him to enter the conversation.

"Somehow I doubt you are talking in the metaphysical sense that was popular in the 1800s, so I'm going to have to go with no."

"They sort of had it right but not really." Laughing a bit at the thought, Ernesto shakes his head. "The gist of it is that the people that are important to you in this life are the same ones in every one of your lives. Your souls are connected by the purest form of love, a love that is beyond family, friends or lovers. The roles that are played change but the souls that are close to you stay the same."

"So, in one life I could have been my dad's brother and in another I could have been his father?" Justin asks, trying to get a firm grasp of the concept.

"Exactly." Satisfied that Justin understands, Ernesto gestures towards Alex.

"I told you I had two brothers in my dream." Alex sees him nod in acknowledgement. "My younger brother was goofy and lovable. He was a great little brother and I missed him when I woke up, until I met him in this life. I missed him until I met your cousin, Max."

"Max was your brother?" Justin's voice breaks in surprise.

"Yes. It surprised the heck out of me when you introduced him to me at the club." Alex laughs. "I didn't know whether to hug him or shake his hand… figured a hug from a complete stranger might have freaked him out and I was already freaked out enough for the both of us."

"So, that is why you called him 'Maxie' that night." Justin smiles, making the connection.

"As much as I missed Max, I think I missed my older brother even more." Alex looks down at their linked hands with a sigh. "He was intelligent, polite and just plain good. In other word, he annoyed the crap out of me." Alex cracks a smile when Justin laughs at this. "We fought constantly but were really close. He was constantly protecting me and fixing things when I messed up, which was a lot. There isn't anything I wouldn't have done for him, not that I would have admitted it." Alex looks up into Justin's eyes and winces. "I met him recently too."

"That's awesome." Justin lets go of her hand to give her a quick, one-armed hug.

"You'd think but this where things get complicated." Grimacing, Alex shrugs his arm off and takes his hand again. "My brother from a previous life is named Justin. My brother was you."

"What?" Justin whispers in shock, letting go of her hand and standing up. "No. I'm not your brother. I can't be."

"You can and you were. Remember what Uncle Ernesto said about the roles people play in your lives changing?" Alex waits for him to nod his head, still seeing denial in his eyes. "This is what he was talking about. In the previous life I experienced in my comatose reality you were my older brother. When I'm with you, I see a guy that I really like and want to date but, in the back of my mind, I also see my older brother. It's driving me crazy when I'm around you." A few tears streak down Alex's pale cheeks and she wipes them away impatiently.

"Alex, what can I do?" Kneeling in front of her, Justin wraps her smaller hands in his larger ones. He brushes his own worries aside when he sees the pain in her eyes. "I can't stand to see you like this. Tell me how I can make this better."

"I gave Alex a few different options when she talked to me about this recently." Ernesto interrupts causing Justin to look at him with hope. "The first is to erase the dream memories from her mind. Everything from her comatose reality would be gone."

"But that would get rid of her memories of her dad, too." Justin shakes his head resolutely. "We can't do that. I won't take her father away from her. What's option two?"

"We do nothing. As real as it seemed, it was still a dream. Eventually all dreams fade from the mind until a person is left with just a fond vague memory of it." Crossing his arms, Ernesto looks from Justin to Alex.

"That will take forever and there's no guarantee that they'll fade enough." This time, Alex is the one shaking her head.

"That leaves option three… the Love Ever After Spell." Sighing, Ernesto leans back in his chair to explain when Justin looks at him blankly. "It's a spell that will tell us whether the two of you are meant to be together."

"It's an all-or-nothing deal." Pulling Justin closer, Alex gets him to sit back down on the couch next to her. "If we are meant for each other, it will bind us together and all other feelings will dissolve leaving us completely in love. If we aren't, it will get rid of any love we may have had for the rest of our lives. We can't do the spell without you and we wouldn't since it affects you too."

Justin is quiet for a long time debating with himself while the others wait as patiently as they can, knowing this is a lot for him to take in. Justin looks at Alex, his eyes softening. "Doing this spell would clear your confusion and you would still get to keep your memories?" He whispers as he leans his forehead against hers. Feeling her hesitant nod, he lets out a breathy sigh. "Then let's do it."

"Are you sure?" Lifting her hands to his face, she pulls away slightly to look him in the eyes. "Once it's done, there is no going back."

"Yes, I'm sure." Smiling wryly, Justin kisses the tip of her nose. "Apparently it doesn't matter what life we are in, I still want to protect you. As you said you would do anything for me, I would do anything for you. If this is what it takes to give you peace of mind, then I say we do the spell. I have faith that I won't lose you but, if I do, there is always the next life to give us another chance."

"Small comfort." Alex matches his wry smile.

"Are you ready?" Ernesto stands up and walks over to the large spell book sitting on a stand in the back of the room.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Shrugging, Justin stands up and offers a hand to Alex.

"Me too." Alex takes his hand to stand up and hugs him around the waist.

Theresa smiles sadly at this, realizing that her little girl isn't so little anymore and needs to make this decision for herself. Resigned, she stands up and walks over by her brother to help. Justin and Alex follow and they all gather around the book to see what they need to do.

_**Yes, I did it again. I left you with another cliffhanger. Don't worry, I have a plan… sort of. lol**_

_**Please leave a review and tell me what you think so far. Thanks for reading!**_


	12. Chapter 12: The Truth Revealed

_**I'd like to extend my appreciation to my reviewers of Chapter 11: GravityBlackBowler (I understand being busy so don't worry about it), SusieAnna97 (hope you managed to calm down), WishFlower (Epic is awesome) and EvilEmmaEvans (thanks for catching my oopses). You four have been dedicated reviewers (along with a few others) which I can't tell you how awesome that is to me. Thanks to everyone who has continued to read my story. Virtual cookies all around.**_

_**I know this is short but I hope you enjoy it anyway.**_

_***I don't own Wizards of Waverly Place, its characters, or NYU. Just the story, the extra characters and song are mine.***_

_**~Also, I have never been to NYU so just ignore the inaccuracies in its description~**_

_**~Parmesana is a fictional restaurant so don't bother trying to find it~**_

_Previously:_

_"Are you sure?" Lifting her hands to his face, she pulls away slightly to look him in the eyes. "Once it's done, there is no going back."_

_"Yes, I'm sure." Smiling wryly, Justin kisses the tip of her nose. "Apparently it doesn't matter what life we are in, I still want to protect you. As you said you would do anything for me, I would do anything for you. If this is what it takes to give you peace of mind, then I say we do the spell. I have faith that I won't lose you but, if I do, there is always the next life to give us another chance."_

_"Small comfort." Alex matches his wry smile._

_"Are you ready?" Ernesto stands up and walks over to the large spell book sitting on a stand in the back of the room._

_"As ready as I'll ever be." Shrugging, Justin stands up and offers a hand to Alex._

_"Me too." Alex takes his hand to stand up and hugs him around the waist._

_Theresa smiles sadly at this, realizing that her little girl isn't so little anymore and needs to make this decision for herself. Resigned, she stands up and walks over by her brother to help. Justin and Alex follow and they all gather around the book to see what they need to do._

**Chapter 12: The Truth Revealed**

A flash of bright white light dulls down to a faded glow that surrounds Justin and Alex who are holding hands in front of Ernesto. Theresa stands slightly behind her brother worrying her lower lip and staring at her daughter. Justin and Alex keep their eyes closed as the glow fades away completely, tense silence fills the air. Ernesto closes the book with a soft thud, startling Justin and Alex. Their eyes open and look sharply over at him.

"Sorry." Wincing, Ernest holds up his hands in innocence. Alex rolls her eyes and looks up curiously at Justin as he looks down at her. Theresa and Ernesto study the two in front of them trying to find any sign of what the Love Ever After Spell did. "Well, how do you feel?"

"Meh." Alex shrugs her shoulders, abruptly releasing Justin's hands.

"Hmm…" Justin folds his arms in front of him with a frown and watches Alex carefully, then shakes his head and sits down on the couch.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry." Coming up next to her daughter, Theresa wraps a comforting arm around her.

"I was really hoping it wouldn't end like this." Slumping down into one of the chairs, Ernesto covers his face with a hand dejectedly.

"What do you mean?" Alex plops down next to Justin and smirks up at the adults. "I thought you both liked Justin. Now you don't want him to be a part of the family?"

"Wha…?" Ernesto sits up straight and stares at Alex while Theresa sits down hard on the arm of his chair. Alex laughs at the expressions of confusion on their faces.

Justin, rolling his eyes at Alex, takes her hand and kisses the back of it. "You're not getting rid of me that easily." Justin assures everyone with a happy smile.

Epilogue

In the final month of their final year of school, Justin takes Alex out saying they needed a little fun before finals. He recreates their first date on the magic carpet. This time without Max and Harper. He pulls a piece of the star down once more and when he turns around he drops to one knee and holds out the most beautiful, sparkling diamond ring to her.

"I've always known you were meant for me and I really can't imagine my life without you in it. I love you more than anything." Smiling nervously, Justin glances down at the ring and back up at her. "Marry me?"

For once, Alex is speechless. There's no joking, no snarky comment and no teasing. Looking down at Justin, Alex swipes at the tears streaking down her cheeks. She takes a deep breath and tries to calm herself down so she can answer. "Yes." She breathes out but no sound comes. "Yes." She manages to squeak out as she tackles him to the rug, planting her lips on his.

After Justin finishes his doctorate, he becomes world renown specializing in prosthetic robotic replacements for most parts of the body. Alex receives a doctorate in the arts and is famous in the art world for her animatronic sculptures, vivid paintings and flawless taste. They marry two years after graduation in a double ceremony with Max and Harper, who get engaged during a street fair.

The following years prove to be happy ones filled with love and excitement. Justin and Alex experience it all together, including several interest fiascos and a year spent in each other's bodies (all on accident of course). Those are stories for another time though.

The End.

_**Please review and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the story.**_

_**Happy Reading!**_

_**~Georgie**_


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